All About Nyjer Seed (Thistle)

It is a fact well known by backyard bird feeders that most birds prefer oil seeds. What
isn't generally known is that, in addition to the obvious black oil sunflower seed, Nyjer (aka niger and thistle) is also an oil seed.

Nyjer is a plant grown in Ethiopia and India for hundreds of years. It has a yellow flower and is not even related to the purple-flowered weed thistle hated by farmers and gardeners in America. Nyjer seed is steam treated as a "condition of entry" into the United States. This treatment devitalizes any noxious weed seeds that may be present. So, even though Nyjer seed may sprout under your "thistle" feeder, it will not grow. It is not clear how this seed became known as thistle and it is only presumed that it is called niger because it grows in areas through which the Niger River flows. Nonetheless, soon the seed's name will be officially changed to Nyjer in order to eliminate any confusion caused by either the thistle or niger moniker!

Nyjer seed is used primarily to attract American goldfinch. House finch and pine siskin also frequent the finch feeder. It is not unusual to see chickadees eating Nyjer seed and you'll often have mourning doves cleaning up any spilled Nyjer off the ground under the feeder. The finch feeder is specially designed with tiny little holes to dispense the grass seed sized Nyjer. There is quite a variety of finch feeders available appealing to differing tastes.