Sunflower Seeds – My Views

For any of those who are wondering, I have always liked eating sunflower seeds. I munch them raw or tamari roasted with trail mix, sprinkle them in salads and on granola with yoghurt. I often buy sunflower butter instead of peanut butter for sandwiches with jelly, even grind up the seeds and add them to fresh baked goods.

It may come as a bit of a surprise to fat-fearing, nutrition-conscious birdkeepers, but I also like feeding sunflower seeds to my parrot flock. Most of the larger psittacines, especially the oil-loving macaws and African Greys, Capes, Red-Bellies, etc. get some sunflower seeds every day. I have spent more than 25 years studying various aspects of captive avian diet, and I have never encountered even one valid reason not to feed this nutritious item to birds. They all like them, with the exception of some Eclectus I have known, the seeds are very good for parrots, and the concentrated shell cracking experience is a form of meticulous foraging.

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