Nyjer seed

Nyjer, a small black seed, is favored by goldfinches and other finches for its size and high oil content. But what is it, and where does it come from?

The seed is sometimes called "thistle," but actually it's not related at all to the pink- or purple-flowering thistle weed sometimes found locally. Nyjer, pronounced "NYE-jerr," is the seed of the yellow flower of the Guizotia abyssinica plant.

Nyjer is an oil seed crop that is cultivated in Burma, India, Nepal and Ethiopia. The plant is 4 feet tall on average but can grow as high as 7 feet under the right conditions. It is harvested while the flower buds are still yellow, then stacked to dry. The seeds, loosely held in the flower head, are black, club-shaped and narrow.

It is the only major wild bird feed imported from overseas. It's been marketed for wild bird seed for about 40 years. In 1985, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ruled that the seed must be heat-treated as a condition for entry into this country. In 1997, the treatment temperature was set at 250 degrees for 15 minutes to "devitalize" any weed seeds present. As a result, Nyjer will not sprout on lawns beneath bird feeders. But the finches still love it!