House Finch
A pretty backyard bird. But, wow, are they pigs at the feeders. They will sit and eat and eat and eat. One interesting thing about their feeding habits is how they deal with sunflower seeds. Inside the hard outer shell, the seed itself has a thin seedcoat, or testa, covering it. It appears the finches don't want to ingest it. They use their beaks and tongues to remove it, and the feeder will gradually "grow" a top layer of translucent seedcoats.
House Finch
A pretty backyard bird. But, wow, are they pigs at the feeders. They will sit and eat and eat and eat. One interesting thing about their feeding habits is how they deal with sunflower seeds. Inside the hard outer shell, the seed itself has a thin seedcoat, or testa, covering it. It appears the finches don't want to ingest it. They use their beaks and tongues to remove it, and the feeder will gradually "grow" a top layer of translucent seedcoats.