From ritual to business: How nigerseed fuels humanity’s urge to feed birds
Published on: Aug. 24, 2025, 7:42 p.m. | Source: The Economic Times
Nigerseed, also known as nyger, has traveled from its traditional cultivation in India and Ethiopia to becoming a key part of the global bird feeding industry, now valued at billions of dollars. While its use as bird feed only gained traction in the West in the 1970s, the human instinct to feed birds is far older, rooted in rituals, compassion, and a desire to connect with nature. Ecologist Darryl Jones notes that people feed birds for reasons ranging from simple joy to atonement for environmental harm.
