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The seeds they eat come from composite plants -- daisies, coneflower, sunflowers, aster, etc. -- grasses, and trees. They are picky eaters and take a long time to adapt to new foods.
The American goldfinch is a granivore and adapted for the consumption of seedheads, with a conical beak to remove the seeds and agile feet to grip the stems of seedheads while feeding. It is a social bird and will gather in large flocks while feeding and migrating.
Goldfinch eating teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) seeds, Scotland. The European goldfinch's preferred food is small seeds such as those from thistles (the Latin name is from Carduus, a genus of thistles), cornflowers, and teasels, but insects are also taken when feeding young. It also regularly visits bird feeders in winter.
Black sunflower seeds are often used in bird feeders, as they attract a wide variety of birds, have a high ratio of seed material to shell, and are high in fat content, the latter of which is nutritionally important for winter birds. [13] [9] Other popular seeds include Niger, or thistle seed, a favorite of goldfinches and redpolls.
The seed's oil is widely used for industrial purposes such as soap making, paints preparations and preparation of different types of emulsions. [13] The seed is used as bird food. As the seeds are so small, specialized bird feeders are manufactured for niger seed. In the United Kingdom the seeds attract finches and siskins. [14]
An edible seed [n 1] is a seed that is suitable for human or animal consumption. Of the six major plant parts, [ n 2 ] seeds are the dominant source of human calories and protein . [ 1 ] A wide variety of plant species provide edible seeds; most are angiosperms , while a few are gymnosperms .