Nyjer seed

Earlier in the year we bought in a bag of Nyjer seed and enjoyed watching many goldfinch, siskin, redpoll and more recently chaffinch eating the seed. Below one of the feeders is a patch of Nyjer plants.

Taken from the internet:
Niger (which can also be spelt Njger or Nyjer) seeds are small, black, oil-rich seeds from the Ramtil plant, native to Ethiopia. Closely related to sunflower seeds, Goldfinches, Siskin and Redpoll absolutely love them! Niger seeds are crammed with oils which are essential for a healthy well balanced diet.

Guizotia abyssinica is an erect, stout, branched annual herb, grown for its edible oil and seed. Its cultivation originated in the Ethiopian highlands, and has spread to other parts of Ethiopia.

The seed, technically a fruit called an achene, is often sold as birdseed as it is a favourite of finches, especially the Goldfinch and the Greenfinch. In the birdseed market, Nyjer is often sold or referred to as thistle seed. This is a misnomer resulting from early marketing of the seed as "thistle" to take advantage of the finches' preference for thistle.