More and more people are feeding niger seed in their gardens and with great success. Niger seed (also known as thistle seed or nyjer) is a tiny oil rich seed that has special oil releasing properties, and is the favoured seed of a garden favourite - the Goldfinch. Niger seed will also attract Siskins, Redpolls and Greenfinches.
To avoid waste niger seed is best fed from a special niger seed feeder. Our niger seed has been specially heat treated to help reduce seedling re-growth. Niger can also be fed on bird tables and ground feeders.
Where niger seed comes from
Niger seed is from a plant called the Ramtil which is native to the highlands of Ethiopia. The Ramtil plant is actually a relative of the sunflower, though, and quite wrongly, niger is often referred to as thistle seed. Niger seed is still grown in Ethiopia for export, but much of the seed imported into the UK now comes from India.
How to feed niger seed
By far the best way is from a proper niger seed feeder. At a glance this looks much like a normal hanging tube seed feeder, but closer inspection shows only tiny holes for the birds to take the seed from, which is essential to prevent the nyger seed simply flowing out of the feeder (which it would a normal seed feeder).
Yet although the hole, or port, is so small, the birds which especially like niger - Goldfinches and Siskins - have unusually thin and pointed ends to their bills for a finch, and therefore are easily able to remove the seeds.
Niger can also be fed from a bird table or the ground, but in both cases use it sparingly as its tiny size and light weight makes it difficult to contain, and especially when it's windy. One benefit of feeding it this way, though, is that you might also attract Redpolls - which really are a rare sight in most gardens.