Dear Parrots magazine,
Saskatoon berries
Blueberries have been long promoted as a superfood for humans. Thank you to Leslie Moran for a very informative article about the benefits of feeding blueberries to your parrots.
There is another blue berry that is lesser known but just as healthy, or even healthier than blueberries. It is the Saskatoon berry. Despite having the same name as a Canadian city, the Saskatoon berry grows wild in many regions of North America. It was, at one time, a staple food consumed by the indigenous aboriginals of Canada. They knew the berries to be nutritious and to have medicinal benefits.
While there is not as much research on Saskatoon berries as there is on blueberries, scientific data about Saskatoon berries can be found at www.prairieberries.com. The site contains some interesting graphs comparing the two berries. Having grown Saskatoon berries I am very familiar with them and often share them with my parrots.
Caroline, by email