Do goldfinches have a higher metabolic rate than other small garden birds?

I thought it was just more like the goldies and greenies just perch up and don't let others in....just greed in my opinion
Hopefully others will know better than me ;-)

(Pardon the Scottish Accent)

They also throw more on the floor than they eat, being "selective"!!

That's my experience too but even allowing for that they still eat much than the tits using the same feeders.

Hey Danny, this may give an answer
www.bto.org/.../want-attract-goldfinches-sunflower-hearts-are-answer

Thank you. It's a very interesting piece which corresponds exactly with our experience. Now to see if they can help on my query about the metabolic rate of what we now think of as 'our goldfinches'.

It's an interesting question. It could well be that they do, similarly to mammals (including humans) you would think there are differences. Apparently songbirds have a higher BMR to that of non songbirds with the humming bird having the highest. There must be research out there that could tell you the differences between the smaller songbirds, where to find it though! Are they generally more active to the other birds that visit your garden? Are they more competitive that makes them use more energy? Or, as Linda mentioned just greedy to get to their favourite food before anyone else? Let us know if you find out.

They come in groups of usually 6-10; compete against each other to get to the feeders, and give the impression of being ill-tempered sometimes, so you are probably right to suggest competitiveness is a factor in how frenetically they tacklet the sunflower kernels. But perhaps their competitivenes in part stems from them having a greater need to eat quickly and often because of their metabolic rate! I'll let you know what if anything I find out from the BTO survey team.

Not convinced goldfinches have a higher metabolic rate than other small bird species, but not an expert on bird feeding. What I would say though, is even if your perception is correct in that goldfinches do eat more per bird than other species (though I agree with others saying they're particularly messy so waste more in general), eating more from feeders doesn't necessarily mean they're eating more. Feeders are just one source of food. It's highly likely that seed specialists are having to rely more on feeders in mid & late Winter for a higher percentage of their calorie intake. There's also the point about calories per food item.......and some species are better foragers than others....

I'd be surprised if BTO could state with any confidence re metabolism of individual finch species versus others.....will await with interest.

That's a good point about goldinches perhaps being more reliant on feeders than other birds. That they have become more reliant on feeders in general and sunflower kernels in particular does seem to have been one of the conclusions of a study of goldfinch behaviour c.2016. Like you, I'll be surprised if much is known about the metabolic rate of goldfinches against say tits. However, Den757, suggests that there is evidence that songbirds have a higher BMR to that of non-songbirds, with the humming bird having the highest, so I haven't altogether given up hope of finding out more.

Someone must have an answer. I'll try to find where I read about BMR in birds. It must be some sight to see so many of these colourful birds together, I only see them in pairs.