Certain birds will have a preference to certain types of seed within that mixture, and acquainting yourself with the birds and the seed they love is a good skill to have.
It will also allow you to plan what sort of foods you are going to use and minimize the chances that you will have different or unwanted species of birds eating the food that you intended for some other bird..
Following are some of the most common seed components and their general characteristics.
Cracked corn
Cracked corn is the perfect bird seed for many of the more common backyard birds including starlings, sparrows and grackles. You will also find that quails like the taste of cracked corn too.
Although many people will deliberately stay away from incorporating cracked corn in their mixture, it can be a good way to tempt larger birds away from your specialized seed feeder that is attracting the birds that you actually want to see.
Hulled sunflower seeds
These contain high amounts of oil and as a result are a good source of calories for birds such as cardinals and titmice and are particularly vital in the winter months when wild food is scarce.
You might have already guessed that to buy hulled sunflower seeds is going to be more expensive than buying the regular stuff but that cost is offset somewhat when you think about the fact that you aren’t actually paying for the weight of the hull which would only go to waste anyway.
The good thing about the hulled variety is that they will not split open and start to grow if left on the ground. This means more food for the birds and a neater looking lawn for you!
Red milo
One of the cheapest bird seeds available but also one of the least appealing. You will find that only larger birds like doves, wild turkeys and pheasants will bother with red milo.
It is used as a filler in a lot of seed mixes to bulk it up, but it will be left alone by the majority of birds.
Millet
Millet is an extremely good source of starch for many of the small birds that like to feed on it. The good thing about this bird seed is that you can grow it in your own garden and have a stable supply for a good proportion of the year.
If you love towhees, finches and buntings then millet is the choice for you.
Niger
Otherwise known as thistle seed, this is definitely a more premium, oil rich selection for smaller birds like goldfinches and juncos.
One of the added advantages of thistle seed is that there is little wastage, as anything spilled on the ground by the birds feeding above will be picked up by birds more used to feeding on the ground. It is quite expensive to buy so you would hope that the majority of it would get eaten anyway.
Safflower seeds
Like the thistle seed, this is quite expensive to buy but it is appealing to a wide range of birds including titmice, cardinals and a whole host of other songbirds.
To bring the price down a bit you can buy it bulked up with less expensive components like millet.
Black oil sunflower seeds
The vast majority of birds will never turn their beaks up at black oil sunflower seeds because of the extremely high oil content.
Everything from jays to grosbeaks to woodpeckers will enjoy dining out on these seeds and for a less hands-on approach, you can grow the seeds during the summertime and the birds will strip the seeds as they appear.