Nyjer Thistle Bird Feeders Goldfinch, Finches

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Nyjer thistle feeders are tube feeders designed with small feeding holes in order to prevent the tiny nyjer seed from falling out, and also to make the seed available only to small beaked species such as goldfinches.

Cage Metal Nyjer Thistle Holds 1lb. Cage around tube helps keep out larger birds and provides buntings and finches plenty of perching space	Cage Nyjer Haven Hang or post mount, 1.5 lb capacity. Cage around recycled resin tube helps keep out larger birds and deters squirrels	Cage Nyjer Thistle Feeder Holds 1lb. Cage around tube helps keep out larger birds and Squirrel Lock discourage squirrel damage, stainless steel
Copper Nyjer Feeder Large size for 3lbs. Decorative hopper style of black steel mesh with copper roof and tray. Perfect for buntings	Droll Yankees Armored Droll Yankees Armored 8 port tube with chew proof protective metal. Attract smaller songbirds with their favorite treat	Droll Yankees Finch Feeder Droll Yankee extra large feeder with 20 seed ports tube. Hang or post mount to attract wild birds to the backyard
Globe Thistle Sunflower Bird feeder holds 5 lbs of seed of your choice. Small thistle on one setting or larger seed like black oil sunflower	Holiday Nyjer Stocking Decorate a backyard for wild birds with a holiday stocking feeder. Cheerful and atrractive to birds, fun feeder for watchers	Holiday Nyjer Stocking Gift Decorate a backyard for wild birds with a holiday stocking feeder. Gift set with holiday stocking and 5 lbs. nyjer seed
Mesh Aspects Feeder Sturdy feeder made of tight weave stainless steel mesh with brushed nickel finish. Durable die cast top and bottom	Mesh Aspects Purple Sturdy thistle feeder of tight weave stainless steel mesh with purple color finish. Durable die cast top, bottom	Mesh No No Finch Feeder
Mesh Nyjer Thistle Feeder Large, decorative with clear acrylic roof and tray in scalloped pattern. Birds hang on rust proof mesh hopper, perch	Mesh Red Nyjer Feeder Large capicity thistle nyjer bird feeder. Great for attracting wild birds to a backyard garden. Steel perches, red roof, tray	Mesh Stainless Steel Tray Stainless steel mesh thistle tube with removable bottom. Bright yellow, seed tray is best for perching, drainage
Mesh Two Seed Combo Large capacity. Fill two compartments different types of seed. Birds can feed at ports, mesh or tray. Larger cardinals	Recycled Plastic Ultimate Unique design made of weatherproof recycled plastic with metal roof, galvanized handle. We love the ease of cleaning	Stainless Steel Thistle In sunny yellow, steel mesh feeder has a removable bottom. Holds 2 lbs of seed and attracts finches and buntings
Stocking Sock Gift Idea 22" thistle sock and 5lbs of seed, a great gift idea for wild bird lovers. The soft netting is easy for birds to cling	Stocking Sock Gift Set Two 8" thistle stockings and 5lbs of seed, a great gift idea for wild bird lovers. Soft netting is easy for birds to cling	Stocking Sock Kit Fun gift idea for kids or backyard bird watchers, feeder comes ready to hang, already filled with nyjer seeds
Stocking Sock Nyjer Thistle 22" extra long thistle stocking of soft netted material, Easy for birds to hang on and holds three lbs of thistle	Stockings Nyjer Classic 8" long classic style thistle sock made of soft netted material, super simple for finches and small birds to hang on	Super Spiral Nyjer Feeder Unique fun design with spiral perch system for finches to eat from 24 feeding ports. A cheerful accent, metal cap
Tube 2 in 1 Hang or post mount, use thistle or regular seed to attract backyard birds to a garden habitat. Great gift for kids	Tube Classic Nyjer Feeder Attract songbirds to a backyard. Eight stainless steel perches in a classic tube style thistle bird feeder. Holds 1 lb	Tube Station Feeder Small thistle feeder, perfect for apartments and townhouses. For patio, deck, balcony or hang in small tree or shrub
Tube Triple Nyjer Feeder Triple tube is perfect for feeding a large number of goldfinches and holds 3lbs thistle. Resists squirrel damage	Upside Down Nyjer Feeder Up side down feeder easy for smaller birds to use, difficult for larger. Squirrel resistant metal cap, perches, 6 ports	Wood Cedar Finch Summit Cedar wood, best way to attract siskens and small songbirds. Easy to use, attractive hanging wild bird feeder

Thistle – Nyjer Bird Feeders

Nyjer/Thistle feeders are Tube Bird Feeders which are specially designed with very small feeding holes in order to prevent the nyjer seed from pouring onto the ground and make the seed available only to small-beaked finches. These feeders are mostly attractive to goldfinches, house finches, pine siskins and redpolls and purple finches. Ground-feeding species such as doves, juncos and sparrows also find Nyjer attractive and will keep the ground under your nyjer feeder clean.

Some thistle/nyjer feeders are specially designed for the American Goldfinch, who is particularly attracted to nyjer seed, to hang upside down to eat the seeds. The feeding holes which dispense the seeds are located below the the perch, allowing the goldfinch to hang up-side-down to eat. This helps to keep the other birds from competing for the nyjer seed as the goldfinch can hang upside down in this manner to feed while other birds can not. Larger birds may eat at your main bird feeding station, while smaller finches can feed and enjoy the nyjer feeder without the competition.

Nyjer feeders can be hung or pole mounted and require squirrel protection or guards. To clean a nyjer bird feeder, use a stiff bottle brush and hot water. Do not allow seeds to collect and rot in the bottom of the feeder.

Eastern or American Goldfinch

The Eastern or American Goldfinch - also known as the Wild Canary - is a North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from southern Canada to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canadian border to Mexico during the winter. They are found in weedy fields and floodplains as well as cultivated land, orchards and gardens.

American Goldfinch are only finch in its subfamily which undergoes a complete molt of it's feathers. It is the only member of its family to have this second molt in the spring, all the other species have just one molt each year in the fall. In summer months the male is a vibrant yellow in order to attract a female, while in the winter the male is an olive color. The female American Goldfinch is a dull yellow-brown which brightens only somewhat during the summer. They are one of North America's latest nesting birds, often not staring to nest until June or July.

In winter months,the American Goldfinch can be seen in flocks at your bird feeders while in summer during breeding season they are more often spotted in small groups. Often they are monogamous, but females can switch mates after producing a first brood of nestlings. When the female produces the first brood, the male will attend to the babies while the female goes off to find another male and produce a second brood. The female goldfinch builds a cup shaped nest in the fork of a tree or bush while the male keeps watch.

Range: Southeast British Columbia and Newfoundland, south to Georgia, central Oklahoma, Arkansas, central Utah, Colorado and Baja California. It is a common bird in the Northeast.

Habitat: Woodland edges, bushy thickets and weedy fields and grasslands and nearby trees. They can be seen in open woods, on lawns and on roadsides.

Diet: The American Goldfinch main diet eating seeds and grains, but upon occasion will eat insects. The insects are fed to the Goldfinch babies for a protein source. Wild Goldfinch diet consists of the seeds from several annual plants, most of which are considered weeds and found growing in fields, abandoned clearings and along roadsides. These plants are: thistle, teasel, dandelion, ragweed, mullein, cosmos, sunflower and alder trees. In your garden you may notice the goldfinches eating the seeds off your cone flowers, black eyed susan and other members of the daisy family. The bird will also eat tree buds, sap from maples and some berries.

Attracting American Goldfinches

Plants: Asters, birch trees, box elder, cone flower, cosmos, daisy, black eyed susan, firs, grapes, maple trees, mulberries, oaks, hemlocks, pine trees, roses, serviceberries, spruce, sunflowers, sweet gum, thistle (warning: invasive!), white ash, zinnias.

Feeders: The American goldfinch will feed readily at a bird feeder. They like black oil sunflower, hulled sunflower, some suet mixes, and nyjer. Their absolute favorite seed at a bird feeder is nyjer. Nyjer seed is the best food to use to attract these lovely birds to your yard.

Nesting: The Goldfinch is not a cavity dwelling bird, but instead builds it's nest in late summer in the branches of a deciduous shrub or tree. The nest is built by the female to about 30ft above the ground. While the male goldfinch is known to fly with the female as she gathers materials to make a nest and will carry items back with her, he does not partake in the actual construction. The outside of the nest is made from of bark, weeds, vines and grass with the rim reinforced with bark tied together with spiderwebs and caterpillar silk. The inside cup is lined with plant down from milkweed, thistle or cattail. The goldfinch nest is woven tightly enough to hold water and the parents must cover it to insure the nestlings do not drown during a heavy rain. Providing nesting habitat for the goldfinch does not include birdhouses. Instead, provide trees, shrubs and nesting material to encourage them to breed in your area. Their nesting material consists of invasive plants so keep this in mind should you decide to grow the items they use.