Calendula for birds

Calendula is great for birds. The flowers and leaves can be eaten. Calendula officinale should not be mistaken by Marigold. The seed is freely available from your gardening section in grocery and hardware stores. It is sometimes called “poor man’s saffron”. The petals are used as a color substitute for saffron in rice, fish, soup, and poultry dishes and infused to give color to cheese, butter, and cakes.

I bought some calendula plants to give to feed during the winter.

In some parts of the world, Calendula is considered to be a summer annual. In South Africa, however, the summers are too hot and the plants simply wither in the heat. The cooler temps of winter and their resilience to frost make them an ideal option for winter color.

Calendula can be mixed into a chop, offered as foot toys, or even brewed as tea.

I asked on the Facebook group what it is good for and Lynn Andrews responded (thank you):

“Calendula has high antimicrobial properties. The flowers have a high percentage of flavonoids, saponins, and triterpenes, which work together to both ease swelling of inflamed tissue and stave off infection. Calendula also has carotenoids and polysaccharides. This combination helps rebuild skin cells and stabilize mucous membranes. Excellent medicinal plant for birds & humans, alike!”

You might also be interested in:

https://www.wwbirds.co.za/dir/feeding-parrots-in-winter/

You might also be interested to feed dandelions for your birds as it is listed as a superfood.

https://www.wwbirds.co.za/dir/is-dandelion-safe-for-birds/

This article is available in the following edition:

Parrotainment SA has some great infographics about edible flowers:

https://parrotainmentsa.co.za/articles

Content creator: Petrus A. van Tonder

Please leave a comment to tell us about your experience with calendula or anything else you would like to share with us.