Nyjer plant (Guizotia abyssinica) produces small black seeds which make an excellent finch feeder seed, drawing in goldfinches, house finches, purple finches and pine siskins alike. Best used with either a tube bird feeder or finch sock feeder.
Keep in mind that nyjer can rot quickly, so it is crucial to offer fresh seed. Check for oil stains to determine whether they remain fresh.
Contents
Hulled Sunflower Seed
Sunflower seeds are one of the most widely consumed forms of wild bird food. Found in many seed mixes and beloved by finches and chickadees alike, as well as nuthatches, woodpeckers and cardinals, sunflower seeds attract many different species ranging from finches and chickadees to nuthatches, woodpeckers and cardinals. Unfortunately, sunflower seeds come with one major drawback – their hard shells often accumulate beneath feeders. This issue can easily be avoided by purchasing “no mess” seed which has had all hard shells removed so as not to accumulate around feeders or the ground below feeders – another big benefit that they bring.
These seeds can be offered either alone or as part of a general birdseed mix in tube and hopper feeders, making them suitable for winter finch feeders as they contain enough fat to protect songbirds against snowfalls and strong winds. Hullled sunflower seeds contain fiber, protein, vitamins A & E as well as iron calcium potassium; they tend to spoil more quickly without their hulls so require more frequent cleaning of feeders and additional watering of the ground for best results.
Nyjer Seed
Nyjer seed is an ideal lure to attract finches and other songbirds to your yard, thanks to its high oil content, bite size, and lack of hulls – something the birds use effectively with their smaller beaks. Plus it doesn’t leave behind messy remnants around your feeder or in your yard or flowerbeds!
Nyjer Seed was previously known as Niger Seed; however, due to a trademark dispute and changes in pronunciation (it now sounds more like “Nigera”) it now goes by its current name of Nyjer and can sometimes be found included in finch feed mixes.
As nyjer can quickly spoil and turn moldy, you must maintain an adequate supply in your feeder to prevent spoilage and mold growth. Shaking or moving around your seeds daily to do this, or purchasing a seed hopper with a quick release base that keeps it from sitting too long is one way of doing this. An alternative option would be a nyjer sock or finch tube feeder which offers multiple feeding ports for small seeds as well as perches so the birds can cling securely.
Safflower
Safflower seeds come from African daisy (Guizotia abyssinica). Due to its high oil content, safflower are popular with finches, pine siskins and cardinals – as well as other finches like Juncos. But as it has a tough shell that some birds may find difficult to open it’s best offered via tray or hopper feeders for optimal success.
Mix it in with other seeds to create a finch mix, or offer it alone in a thistle or nyjer bird feeder, designed with upside-down ports so finches can land on their perches before feeding from below.
Since safflower seeds are more attractive to squirrels than other types of wild bird seed, you should use a feeder with a squirrel baffle or offer it directly onto the ground so they cannot reach it. Large hopper or tube feeders that hold whole sunflower seeds could also help.
Striped Sunflower Seed
Nyjer seed (Guizotia abyssinica) is frequently included in finch mix birdseed blends to attract finches and other small songbirds to backyard feeders. Additionally, these tiny black seeds with oil-rich coatings attract other seed-eating birds such as sparrows, towhees, grackles and woodpeckers that feed on them.
As nyjer seeds do not contain hulls, they are easier for smaller bird beaks to crack open and extract than most seeds, providing energy-rich nutrients vital to finches and other small songbirds.
Since nyjer seed is more costly than other forms of wild bird food, it is generally stored and distributed through feeders designed specifically to hold it. Such feeders make cleaning much simpler while deterring squirrels and raccoons from raiding them; alternatively it may also be added to tube feeders holding other kinds of bird food in order to attract finches or small songbirds that do not require dedicated feeding ports.
