If traditional canaryseed isn safe for humans, why is it safe for birds?
We can’t say definitively, since to our knowledge this has not been studied, however, birds have different physiologies and different adaptations for foods they consume. For example, birds that eat canaryseed crack open the hull-which contain the silica hairs-and eat only the grain inside, just like they would with a sunflower seed. This would reduce their internal exposure to the silica fibers. Bird’s hard beaks may also provide some protection. A study of mice fed traditional varieties of canaryseed found they developed tumors around their mouths and noses, the soft tissue areas that most frequently came into contact with the silica hairs.
