Bamboo is a wonderful plant to have, just make sure you get it from a reliable place. You want clumping bamboo NOT running bamboo. Running bamboo will spread all over but the clumping bamboo stays in a nice clump. You can get all sorts of kinds from golden bamboo to blue bamboo and they come in different sizes. Also it can grow through netting/wire. You could go for bamboo that gets really tall or bamboo that doesn't get very big. The birds barely mess with it.
Cast iron plants are great hardy plants too. My peafowl have never even eaten a small piece of one. Good luck!