Breakfast with the Birds

Pecking T. Bird

Abstract
What kinds of seeds do wild birds like the most? This is what I wanted to find out, so I set up three identical bird feeders and filled each one with black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, or safflower seeds. I measured the amount of seeds in centimeters marked on the feeders three times a day for three days. My hypothesis was that birds would prefer the hulled sunflower seeds because they are easier to eat. I found out that overall the birds favorite seed is black oil sunflower seeds. The second favorite was hulled sunflower seeds, and the least favorite was the safflower seeds. The birds ate all of the black oil sunflowers by the end of the second day, and only three centimeters of the safflower seed by the end of the third day. My hypothesis did not prove true, but I did learn the feeding preferences of the birds in my backyard. In the future, I would like to experiment with different kinds of feed, such as cracked corn or millet, and observe at different times of year. This kind of information is helpful in local and national bird counts, which monitor residential and migrating bird populations.

Table of Contents
What you are Testing: Hypothesis, Questions, and Variables..4 Background Research5 Materials List.7 Experimental Procedure8 Data Analysis and Discussion...9 Conclusions...10 Ideas for Future Research..10 Acknowledgements.10 Annotated Bibliography..11

What I Tested
Question
Will wild birds eat more safflower seed, black oil sunflower seed, or hulled sunflower seed?

Hypothesis
If I put out three one-cup portions of black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, and hulled sunflower seeds in three feeders, then more birds will eat the hulled sunflower seeds, because it would be easier for them to eat without having to crack the shells.

Variables
Independent Variable: The independent variable for my experiment is the
type of food used in each feeder.

Dependent Variable: The dependent variable is the type of food preferred

by backyard birds over all, and the type of seed preferred by specific bird species.

Controlled Variables: The controlled variables include the type of feeder

used, the amount and types of food available, the location of the feeders, the way the food is measured, the time of the observations, and the absence of other creatures, such as cats or other humans, in the feeder area at the time of the observations.

Background Research
The purpose of my science fair experiment was to find out what kind of seeds different wild birds prefer to eat. For this experiment, I hung three identical green bird feeders at the same height in one tree in my back yard. Lightweight perch-style feeders were used, and boards were placed under the feeders so I can observe any ground feeding birds that eat the seed. With a tape measure and a permanent marker, I marked a ten centimeter fill line on each feeder so I could measure how much food is being eaten. Each feeder started with a full ten centimeters of seed. Measurements were done in the morning, at midday, and late afternoon. When all of the seed was eaten at one feeder, I refilled it to the ten centimeter mark, with a notation about when this was done. I continued observations for three days, to make sure the birds had time to adjust to the feeders and become aware of them. I also observed which bird species, and how many of each species, were using the three feeders and the three boards. I also noted whether there seems to be a lot of waste seed on the boards. Heavier birds definitely caused the feeders to rock! I was pleased to note that our greedy squirrel population was not been able to climb down to the feeders in the locations I had chosen for the experiment. For my experiment, wild backyard birds included any residential and visiting birds that are not domestic birds. I expected to find Dark-eyed juncos, Black-capped chickadees, American crows, Stellars jays, Scrub jays, Mourning doves, Golden-crowned sparrows, Song sparrows, Spotted towhees, robins, Red-wing blackbirds, and European starlings.

Other students have done bird feeder experiments in the past. Their findings have varied a lot by location and the time of year when they did the experiment. One experimental design examined bird feeder color as a variable for seed preference. The student found that green was the most popular color, possibly because it is a color common in nature. Birds do see colors, so I took that into consideration when I set up my experiment. Issues that I identified as possibly causing difficulties with my experiment included invasions by squirrels or other non-bird eaters, cats and other predators scaring off birds, or a flock of one species eating all of one kind of food. Another issue was competition from other bird feeders in the area. We have another bird feeder and a suet cake dispenser across the yard from the tree where I am hanging my experimental feeders. I limited the food to a small handful in the morning, and mostly just millet there. On very cold days, I fed them only if when we had a lot of beggars by the back door. I will left the suet cake in place. There is a family of residential crows that we have been feeding for about ten years. We continued to offer them food, mostly bread scraps and some peanuts, at their usual feeding time. The crows do not often use the bird feeders in my experimental location, and I knew they would be too heavy to comfortably use my experimental feeders. I tried to avoid having other sources of extra bird food available during the time I completed my experiment. I consulted the store owner at Wild Birds Unlimited about which seeds to use for my experiment. He said that safflower seeds are supposed to be popular with birds, but not enjoyed by squirrels. However, none of the birds in my yard seem to enjoy it very much! I also tried to choose an area that didnt have a lot of hiding places for predators to sneak up on the birds. I planned to use my dads van as a location to sit and observe the birds with binoculars without disturbing them. Another factor I identified as influencing the birds eating behavior was extreme

weather, such as pouring rain. We also have a neighbor with a very smoky chimney, and the smoke could affect the birds on cold days. Because my experiment wasoutside, and working with living wild creatures, I realized I would not be able to control for every variable in the way that I could with a laboratory experiment. With this experiment, I hoped to learn about the types of seed that attract more birds. I enjoy bird watching very much, and I wanted to make our yard even friendlier for local wildlife.

Materials List
(3) Identical hanging bird feeders (3) Hooks to hang them (3) 12 in. by 18 in. boards to place under feeders (1) Sack of safflower seeds (1) Sack of black oil sunflower seeds (1) Sack of hulled sunflower seeds Metric ruler Measuring cup Feeder data sheets Sharpie Pencil Binoculars

Procedure
1. Stop filling all other outdoor bird feeders prior to beginning experiment.

2. Use ruler and a sharpie to measure out vertical centimeters on experimental bird feeders. 3. Select a sheltered location to hang feeders at the same height. 4. Place boards under feeders. 5. Measure out one cup of each type of feed into each of the feeders. 6. Use sharpie to mark the one cup fill line on each feeder. 7. Observe birds use of the feeders at 8:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. on three days in a row. 8. Record the amount of seeds remaining and type of birds at each feeder and each board. 9. Photograph the feeders and species. 10. At the end of each days observations, record the amount of food remaining in each feeder. Add any food remaining on the board below the feeder to the total remaining in the feeder. Record this on the Food Remaining table. 11. Refill each feeder to the 10 cm. mark if it is emptied during the experiment.

Data Analysis and Discussion

Table 1 Bird Seed Eaten Measured in Vertical Centimeters
Feeder 1 Safflower seed 9 cm. Day 1 a.m. 9 cm. Day 1 noon 8.5 cm. Day 1 p.m. 8.5 cm. Day 2 a.m. 8 cm. Day 2 noon 8 cm. Day 2 p.m. 8 cm. Day 3 a.m. 7 cm. Day 3 noon 7 cm. Day 3 p.m. 4 cm. 0 6.5 cm. 2 cm. 8 cm. 0 2 cm. 2 cm. 2 cm. 4.5 cm. 4.5 cm. 6.5cm. 5.5 cm. 7 cm. 7 cm. 8.5 cm. Feeder 2 Black oil sunflower seed 8.5 cm. Feeder 3 Hulled sunflower seed 9.5 cm.

Data Analysis
The bird seed preferred the most was the black oil sunflower seeds. I had to refill that feeder at the end of the second day. The sudden increase in the amount of seed eaten may have been caused by the flocks of starlings and red-wing black birds that swarmed the tree where my feeders were hanging. The Dark-eyed Juncos, who are super cute, liked the hulled sunflower seed best. I think this was because it was easier for them to eat with their little beaks. The people at Wild Birds Unlimited said that birds like safflower seeds, but squirrels dont. In reality, neither squirrels nor birds liked that kind of seed. When large birds, like Western Scrub Jays or Stellars Jays tried to eat at the feeder, it would rock the light feeder and spill seed. The juncos and chickadees liked to eat the spilled sunflower seeds from the board. The sunflower seed feeder also attracted some Golden Crown Sparrows and Towhees on occasion.

Conclusions
My hypothesis was that if I put out black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, and hulled sunflower seeds in identical feeders, then more birds would eat the hulled sunflower seeds because it would be easier for them to eat without having to crack the shells. Part of my hypothesis was supported by my data. Although the birds liked the black oil sees the most, when the red-wing blackbirds pigged them all down, the other birds started eating the hulled sunflower seeds. I think this may have been because pre-hulled seeds are not found in the wild. It is also possible that birds in this area have never seen hulled sunflower seeds. Maybe if I had continued the experiment with the hulled sunflower seeds, they would have grown used to it and eaten more.

Ideas for Future Research

If I continued this experiment, I would like to see if the birds would eventually eat the safflower seeds. Many bird guides claim certain species like these seeds, even though the birds in my yard did not. I would also like to experiment with white millet, red millet, and cracked corn. It would also be interesting to see if the seed preferences change at different times of the year, such as when birds have babies or in the summer and fall. My hypothesis would be that birds prefer seeds with a higher oil or fat content during the colder months. I would also like to watch more carefully to see which birds visit my yard at different times of the year.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my family and all my wild bird friends outside.

Annotated Bibliography
Tekeila, Stan. Birds of Washington Field Guide. Cambridge, Minnesota. Adventure Publications. 2001. This book has detailed pictures of the birds, and fabulous descriptions of male and female birds. The pages are color-coded with the main color of the bird, which makes birds easy to identify quickly.

Corwin, Bill. Black-capped Chickadee Field Marks. All About Birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2009. 9 Dec 2012. http://allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-cappedChickadee/id.html This website provided very clear photos of chickadees with a description. It also had information about many other birds.

Record Your Sightings. Birdzilla.com. 9 Dec 2012. http://www.birdzilla,com/abcs-ofbirding.html This website did not have an author or the last review date. It did have some great information about how to record and track bird sightings. I think this will be very useful for my experiment. It also had some recordings of common bird calls.

"Feeding Preferences. WWild Birds Unlimited. 2012. 9 Dec 2012. http://www.wbu.com/education/feeding preferences.html This article did not have an author. I like this site a lot. It states how you should set up feeders and maintain them. There were many other articles and links, too. Also, at our local Wild Birds Unlimited store, the staff was very helpful. They helped me select feeders and bird seed for my experiment, and they told me that birds see in color. This

meant that I needed feeders that were all the same color, so the birds wouldnt have to choose or avoid a feeder based on color.

Warton, Susan, Ed. An Illustrated Guide to Attracting Birds. Menlo Park, California. Sunset Publishing Corporation. 1990. An Illustrated Guide to Attracting Birds is a great resource, because it gives plenty of information about birds. It also tells you how to build bird houses, bird feeders, and bird baths.

Bird-feeding basics NNational Audubon Society. 2012. 9 Dec 2012. <http://getintobirds.org/bird-feeding-basics.html> This site did not have an author. It did have information about how to choose a feeder for certain kinds of birds, and where to put the feeders. It also had information on selecting bird seeds, and how to maintain bird feeders.

Clapp, Michael R. Birding Lessons and Links. 2007. 9 Dec 2012. http://www.nwnature.net/birds/activities.html This is a small website, but it has many links to other sites about birding in Washington, and great photos. I also found a link to a student bird count form on this site.

Bird Behavior and Seed Preferences" .National Bird-feeding Society. 2012. 9 Dec 1012. http://www.birdfeeding.org/best-backyard-bird-feeding-practices/bird-seed-and-otherbird-food/bird-behavior-and -bird-seed-preferences.html This site had a lot of very helpful information, including a backyard bird guide and how to feed birds. It also has many links to other sites.

Bird, David. Ten Common Questions Regarding the Pros and Cons of Birdfeeding .Bird Watchers Digest.2012. 9 Dec 2012. http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwd site/learn/does-feeding-affect-behavior.php

This article explained how to keep cats away from feeder, and how to make feeders safe for birds. The Bird Watchers Digest site is huge, with many other articles and links.

Identifying Bird Songs .Birding.com. 2012, 9 Dec 2012. http://www.birding.com/songs.asp This is an awesome site with many bird song recordings. There are also articles on the science of birds, other methods of identifying birds, and more subjects about birds. There are also many links to other sites.