Providing your pet bird with a nutritionally balanced diet is of utmost importance. Seed mixes and pellets form a great foundation for your bird’s diet, but birds benefit from a variety of other foods as well as enjoying the new flavors, colors and experiences that fresh foods bring.

You can feel free to add a variety of fruits and vegetables to the bird’s diet, such as lettuce, green beans, parsley, corn, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. Fruits that birds enjoy include apple chunks, banana, melon, mango, oranges and other citrus fruits, grapes, pineapple and berries. Some types of birds can also eat “people” foods like low-fat yogurt, low-sugar cereals, and proteins like a little shredded chicken or turkey.

Birds also benefit from the protein in cooked legumes (but raw legumes can be toxic to birds, so be sure to cook beans thoroughly).

Alfalfa sprouts are another good source of pet bird food but be sure to wash any store-bought produce to remove traces of pesticides that may harm your bird. Birds love nuts, but remember that they are fatty and birds that start selecting only the nuts to eat because they are tasty are not getting a balanced diet. Plain popcorn, pasta and whole grain breads round out the list of nutritional foods you can add to the pet bird’s diet.

Of course, there are some foods that are harmful and should never be given to your bird. These foods include apple seeds, avocado, caffeine, rhubarb, chocolate, alcohol, mushrooms, onions and excess salt. Keeping these exceptions in mind, remember that generally any fresh foods that are healthy for people are enjoyed as part of a varied, balanced diet by birds. For more information visit the website www.wingdom.com.