Image: Menke Dave, USFWS
Habitat
They prefer coniferous forests of spruce, fir, pine, hemlock, larch, and western red cedar. During winters they have been known to use orchards, scrub, parks, plantations, and shade trees as habitats. They use cavities in dead parts of trees as a nest and they like to use aspen trees because of the softer wood. While they sometimes reuse nests, they never use nest boxes.
Ecology
They eat mainly seed such as chickweed, buckwheat, lamb’s quarters, sorrel, and similar such seeds. At feeders they prefer millet. During breeding season sometimes they also eat insects such as beetles, moths, butterflies, caterpillars, ants, wasps, and flies.