Morning everyone,
this might seem like an odd question and you may think I'm nuts for asking but...
how do Greenfinches get on with nyjer seed feeders?
The reason I'm asking is because the female of the pair visiting here has just been, she landed on the nyjer feeder and went to various holes but then flew off it. Like she couldn't get to the seed. The feeder is full as I changed the seed only yesterday. their beaks do fit in the hole don't they?
She did try 3 other seed feeders too but they were half full and she was being too daft to pick the ports with food *rolls eyes*
Hi Paul
My greenfinches have eaten from the seed feeders so they must be able to, but I have one of those little metal sunflowers on a stalk which just pushes into the ground and I find they, and the coaltits love getting nyger seed and sunflower hearts from that. There are no holes in it so it doesn't make a mess and I have it just under the tree.
Of all creatures, man is the most detestable, he is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. ~ Mark Twain
Hi Paul,
I've been right through all my greenfinch photos. As you can imagine, I have dozens of them!!
Every single one is on a sunflower heart feeder. As you know, I have a feeding pole with 2 x 6 port SH feeders, a 20 port nyjer flocker and a small 4 port nyjer feeder. They all hang together fro the same pole.
I think this shows they don't use the nyjer feeders. I think their beaks are quite thick, so probably can't use the small nyjer holes. On this photo you can see the beak is thicker than the Goldfinch
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Hi Judi,
thanks for that - and what a lovely photo :o)
I have a hanging tray feeder which oddly enough ever since I bought I've had Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Chaffinches on it - birds I never used to get before! I think they like the height from it and how its sheltered as its on a fence post underneath a big conifer (and cats can't walk the fence to get to it if you're wondering).
I've just looked out the window and have seen the female is currently here, she was on one of the Sparrow's feeders then the tray. But being still new visitors they're easily spooked.
I had assumed they would be able to eat from a nyjer feeder, but ti just struck me as add as it was like it was an impossible task. Quite odd really!
Hi Sparrow,
you posted as I posted so missed your post then, lol!
Thank you for your photo of the Goldie and the Greenie together. There's quite a difference in size between your two there! Crikey that Greenfinch is very beefy!
From seeing that you can really tell the difference in beak sizes so I suppose the Greenfinches can't get their beaks in the gaps.
I have enough normal feeders and tray so they should be ok :o)
I have a sunflower heart seed feeder and a nyjer seed feeder hanging from my birdtable quite close to each other. Although I have seen greenfinches on the perch of the nyger feeder I have never seen it attempt to feed from it whereas of courses the goldies will feed from both.
This is just speculation but I wonder whether it is to do with what the birds are adapted to feed on in the wild. Goldfinches feed on small seeds like thistles and athough I'm not sure what greefinches eat in the wild I suspect they are adapted to eat larger seeds.
A couple of years ago I took some close-ups of both these species and I've created a collage of them side by side so that they can be more easily compared. What I think is noticeable is how much finer is the bill of the goldfinch compared to the much blunter, stouter bill of the greenfinch. Perhaps the greenfinches can't get at or be bothered with the fiddly little nyjer seeds or maybe they just don't like them. LOL
Cheers
Tony
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