Which birds eat thistle

They are a bit larger than the other birds pictured here 6 inches long bill tip to tail tip, rather than 5 inches as the goldfinches. They have a larger bill and usually eat seeds larger than the niger seed. Nevertheless, they'll eat the thistle seed occasionally. They are brown streaked birds of the trees sparrows usually hop on the ground.

Males have red crown, chest, and rump. House Finches love to eat black oil sunflower seeds, but they will eat thistle too. Common Repolls live in subarctic forests and tundra. In winter they move south through Canada, rarely to the northern tier of states across the US. So, this is an unlikely visitor to your thistle feeder unless your winters are typically very cold and snowy.

Their plumage is very pale, almost white, thinly streaked with brown, with males sporting a red cap and black chin. Other: Other birds may eat Niger seed from thistle feeders occasionally. Hanging a thistle feeder is not difficult. The tube type or metal mesh type thistle feeders have metal handles just like any other birdfeeder. They can go on poles or posts. They can hang from tree limbs. Marlene and I prefer shepherd's hooks.

Thistle socks are generally just tied onto a horizontal limb or hook with the draw strings that make up the top of the sock. Then they hang freely. They wear out in the weather, so replace them if they get a hole or are soiled. Some types have a plastic top similar to other tube type bird feeders.

When you are thinking about thistle feeder placement there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Finches generally prefer trees to flee to. So placing the thistle feeder in or near a tree may make it more favored. On the other hand, you don't want it too near the ground or near low bushes where a cat could hide and pounce. Some people advise placing thistle feeders away from other feeders. I've seen thistle socks high, low, in the open and nearly hidden in the bushes.

They one thing they had in common? The birds loved them no matter what. There is one thing about niger thistle seed, though. If it dries out it loses its oily goodness and the birds will not eat them. Don't buy too much seed at a time. Keep it fresh. Squeeze the seeds with your finger nails to see if they are oily. If not, replace the seed with fresh. Plastic tube feeders and metal mesh thistle feeders may hold moisture. Seeds gum up in the bottom and begin to mold.

Thistle socks may air dry after a rain. But mold will form if you live in a damp climate. If thistle socks become moldy throw them away. They are relatively inexpensive and are often sold as a pair. Only hang one at a time, so you have a replacement if the first one gets moldy or develops a hole.

You may like: How high should a bird bath be? Related: Where do you hang a suet feeder? Related: What kind of birds eat cracked corn? It is one of the most abundant and adaptable species of all native sparrows in North America. Fully grown, the song sparrow will reach a length of twelve — seventeen centimeters and have a body mass of nineteen grams.

The pine siskin is a migratory bird with an extremely sporadic winter range and is a North American bird in the finch family. The bills of the pine siskin are conical as with most finches but more slender as well as elongated when compared to co-occurring finches. When an adult, the pine siskin will have brown upperparts and pale on the underparts, with consistent streaking throughout. They have short forked tails with yellow patches on their wings and on their tail.

When fully grown, pine siskins can reach a length of eleven to fourteen centimeters and have a body mass of twelve to eighteen grams. A small North American bird in the finch family, the American goldfinch is a migratory bird.

They are ranging from North Carolina to mid-Alberta during the breeding season and from the Northern United States to Mexico during the winter months. The male is an olive color in the winter and changes to a vibrant yellow in the summer months, and the females are more of a brown-yellow shade, which brightens slightly in the summer months.

To attract a mate during the breeding season, the male displays brightly colored plumage. When fully grown, the American goldfinch will reach a length of eleven to fourteen centimeters and have a body mass of twenty grams. The California quail is a small ground-dwelling bird and is also known as the California Valley quail or the valley quail. The California quail is a member of the new world quail family. These birds have a curved plume or crest, made of six feathers that are black in males and brown in females, and flanks are brown with white streaks.

The common redpoll is a small bird and is a member of the finch family. These birds are Brownish grey in color with a red patch on its forehead. It has two pale stripes on the wings and a black bib. It is more streaked, browner, and smaller than the similar arctic redpoll.

When fully grown, the common redpoll will reach a length of between eleven and fourteen centimeters and have a body mass of about sixteen grams. The hoary redpoll is a species in the finch family Fringillidae and is also known as the Arctic redpoll.

These are non-migratory birds, and many remain far north. However, there are some that migrate short distances south in the winter months. Similar in appearance to the common redpoll with the exception of the hoary Arctic redpoll being much paler. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads.

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Featured Video. Related Topics. Wild Birds. Read More. Most of the finches pull the thistle seeds out of this mesh feeder bag, by clinging to it upside down.. Thistle seeds can become moldy or rancid in wet weather, make sure to change into fresh bags when birds stop visiting the feeder. Because of their oily nature, thistle seeds can dry out often and lose their capacity to attract birds. Birds will turn their beaks into dried seeds, so purchase less quantity and use it for a month.

Thistle seeds never sprout or germinate in your backyard lawn, so they cant be grown. The imported thistle seeds for birds are sterilized for 15 minutes at degrees celsius and then sold under the Nyjer trademark.

In North America, invasive thistle plants have become a huge scarcity and are imported from overseas. The seeds undergo a heat-sterilization process to limit their spreading and form as unwanted weeds in the garden, but it retains their food value and nutrients.

Most finches come to bird feeders during the cold winter season. To attract squatty and beautiful stout beaks and various hues finches, hang out the thistle feeder in your backyard during snowy days. Hang your thistle tube or mesh feeder away from another feeder to make a way for tiny finches to eat without any disruption from large birds like blue jays.