Is beech safe for birds? The one that fights back

Beech is the hardest thing we put in a toy, and it is there on purpose. Every other material we use gives way. Beech mostly does not.

What is beech?

Beech is the timber of Fagus sylvatica, the European beech, a large deciduous tree common across Britain and mainland Europe. The wood is pale, dense and close-grained, with very little figure to it.

Those properties are why beech turns up in kitchen utensils, chopping boards and children's toys. It is hard, it does not splinter readily, and it takes being chewed on without falling apart. Which is more or less the job description here.

Is beech safe for birds?

Untreated beech is widely considered safe for birds and appears on the standard published lists of bird-safe hardwoods. It has no aromatic oils or resins to speak of.

The caution with beech is not toxicity, it is finish. Beech is commonly sold as dowel, blocks and beads for craft use, and much of that stock is varnished, waxed or stained. Those coatings are the problem, not the wood beneath them.

What to check before you buy

• Coating. Raw beech is matte and slightly chalky to the touch. Anything glossy has been finished.
• Colour. Natural beech is pale straw to light pink. Dyed beech beads are everywhere in the craft trade.
• Drilling. Where a hole has been bored, check the inside edge is clean rather than splintered.

Why we use it

A toy made entirely of soft material is finished in an afternoon. A toy made entirely of beech may never be started, because a small bird looks at it and gives up.

Beech earns its place as structure and as a challenge. It holds a toy's shape while the softer parts around it are destroyed, so the toy keeps working after the sola has gone. And for a bird with a strong beak, it is the part actually worth attacking.

It is also the reason some of our toys look intact long after they have stopped being interesting. If the beech is all that is left, the toy has done its work and it is time for a new one.

Which of our toys use beech

• Sola Sandwich and Tongue Twister, where beech is the firm layer between softer ones
• Cheerful Center and Star Struck
• Super Sunrise v2 and Triple Threat
• Double Dangle and the All-In-One Starter Kit

If your bird strips a toy in a day, look for one with more beech in it. If they will not touch anything firm, start softer and work up.