This is from snopes.com which explodes urban myths:
Claim: Rice thrown to wish newly-wedded couples well can kill their fine feathered friends.
Status: False.
Origins: We're
cautioned not to throw rice at the bride and groom, because the grain will prove harmful to the birds who swoop down
Feed me!
to eat it. The rice expands in those little birdy stomachs, causing our avian companions to explode, we're warned. Let's quit worrying about the birds. They'll be fine. SEAGULLS DON'T EXPLODE WHEN THEY EAT ALKA-SELTZER; PIGEONS DON'T EXPLODE WHEN THEY EAT RICE.
This response to a 1996 Ann Landers column in which she "informed" readers about the danger rice poses to birds just about says it all:
The USA Rice Federation in Houston has a message for advice columnist Ann Landers - straighten up and fly right when you talk about birds. In a recent column, Landers warned readers that throwing rice at weddings is Is that the premium bird seed? unhealthy for our feathered friends: "Please encourage the guests to throw rose petals instead of rice. Rice is not good for the birds."
"This silly myth pops up periodically, and it is absolutely unfounded," responded rice expert Mary Jo Cheesman at the USA Rice Federation. Many migrating ducks and geese depend on winter-flooded rice fields each year to fatten up and build strength for their return trek to northern nesting grounds.
Uncooked, milled rice is no more harmful to birds than rice in the field, Cheesman said. The Curator of Ornithology at the University of California at Berkeley agrees.
"It's a myth. There is no reason why birds, including small songbirds, can't eat rice," said Ned Johnson, a professor of biology at Berkeley who lectures frequently on the food and feeding of birds.
Many churchs and reception halls have rules prohibiting the throwing of confetti or rice. These rules work to keep the property clean so that the next happy couple doesn't get its send-off amid the leavings of the previous pair. Confetti is notoriously hard to clean up; not even vacuuming a lawn will return the grass to its pristine condition.
Rice poses a unique danger. Not to birds, though; to people. Scattered on a hard surface (such as the steps of a church or a dance floor) it puts anyone who walks across that surface at risk of taking a nasty spill. Far better to prohibit rice throwing at a wedding than to end up with an injured guest.
Don't do it for the birds, do it for the inlaws.
2006-08-27 09:55:08
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answer #1
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answered by SympatheticEar 4
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"It is an old urban myth that seagulls will explode if they eat an Alka Seltzer. We burp because gaseous byproducts are produced in digestion and forced up through the esophagus (See KidsHealth for a good explanation). Birds have a different digestive system than humans, though they do have an esophagus and are capable of burping. Birds have no teeth and many swallow their food whole or hold it in their crop to regurgitate."
2006-08-27 16:47:22
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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I have heard of this, too, but no I have never known of anyone that did this, I think it is just that seagulls eat almost anything and this was just something some weirdo years ago started to see how many people would be cruel enough to do this. I really hope you are not thinking of trying this.
2006-08-27 16:46:03
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answer #3
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answered by spiritcavegrl 7
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hey, it's true.. if you want to try it .(whimp)..i will do it..the animal rights maniacs dont scare me.throw a half of pill in the air and they catch it. it's almost like the fourth of july..just not as pretty.
2006-08-27 21:52:04
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answer #4
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answered by JAMIE C 1
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totally tru but I hear it was if you fed them rice!! also if YOU drink a whole pepsi then eat a pkg of mentos .....well I'll let you try and find out. JUz so you know it can't hurt you if you do it. But get a bunch of ppl to watch you and film it , its freakin hilarious!!!!!!!!!!
2006-08-27 17:51:37
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answer #5
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answered by leylu 2
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i think thats the effing funniset thing i've ever heard in my LIFE
*
now where'd i put that alka seltzer...?
2006-08-27 16:47:00
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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well i dont know if thats true but i did hear that if you feed a seagull rice it will explode. but really i dont know if that true either.
2006-08-27 16:43:45
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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Yes, it's true that it kills them.
I wouldn't think they would explode, though.
They probably foam at the mouth and experience excruciating carbonation burn.
2006-08-27 16:48:52
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answer #8
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answered by lilith 7
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I heard the same story. Never tried it so I wouldn't know.
2006-08-27 16:47:07
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answer #9
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answered by sophieb 7
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yip once they reach a certain altitude they get blown out of the sky,very messy
2006-08-27 16:46:41
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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