Birds+Of+A+Feather

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Title
Birds Of A Feather Eat Together

Problem Scenario
Certain birds only eat certain foods. In the winter birds are hard-pressed for food, and if you don't put out the kind of seed they like, they will not have anything to eat, causing the population to decrease.

Broad Question
What type of birdseed do birds prefer?

Specific Question
What type of birdseed do birds prefer?

Hypothesis
If birds are given a choice of food, birds will not have a preference because taste is not a huge factor in what they eat.

Graph of Hypothesis
media type="custom" key="22074626"

Independent Variable:
Type of birdseed

Dependent Variable:
Number of birds

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:
Area where data is collected as well as the mix of seeds. (Birds in different areas may have preference variation.)

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation
There is no vocabulary that needs explanation

General Plan
Put different bird seeds in different bird feeders; observe which seed they prefer. Record what birds go to what seed and how many times they do so. Look up birds if needed.

Potential Problems And Solutions
No birds: Move to new area to collect data. Birds Dislike food: Try different kind. Invasive species eat all food: Try and keep them away.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns
Birds attack?

What is your experimental unit?
Number of times bird eats seed

Number Of Trials:
2

Number Of Subjects In Each Trial
3

Number of Observations:
10 (per trial)

When data will be collected
During the experiment.

Where will data be collected?:
In a data table.

Resources and Budget Table

 * Item || Number needed || Where I will get this || Cost ||
 * Seed || 2 Bags || The Store || Money ||
 * Feeder || 3 || Home || Free ||
 * Birds ||  || Wilderness || Free ||
 * Poster board || 1 || Store or classroom || $5 ||
 * Poster Supplies || Many || Store/Classroom || $5-$20 ||

Detailed Procedure
1.Buy the bird seed. 2.Fill the feeder, massing the bird seed before. 3.Observe what birds eat what seed 4.Record the data 5.Analyze data 6.Write about it on the wiki

Photo List
Pictures of Birds

Time Line
February 2- Begin Collecting Materials By February 10-Start Project By February 25-Start Analyzing And Graphing Data By March 1-Begin Piecing Poster Board Together

Data Table

 * Bird Species || Sunflower Seeds || Millet || Mix ||
 * Bird 1 ||  ||   ||   ||
 * Bird 2 ||  ||   ||   ||
 * Bird 3 ||  ||   ||   ||

All Raw Data

 * Bird Species || Sunflower Seeds || Millet || Mix ||
 * Chickadee || 230 || 2 || 18 ||
 * Nuthatch (White Breasted) || 17 || 25 || 20 ||
 * Chipping Sparrow || 300 || 16 || 210 ||

Graphs
media type="custom" key="22487246"

Results
Each species of bird had its own preference of seed. The Chipping Sparrow was the most common bird, giving me the most data.

Conclusion
As my data shows, my hypothesis was not spot on. I stated that all would be equal, but that was not the case. Each bird had a different seed that leaned towards, such as the chickadee enjoyed the black-oil sunflower seeds. The millet was the least eaten, followed by the mixture of the two seeds.

Discussion
What my data shows is that each species of bird I was able to get to my feeder had a preference on which seed it like best, such as how the Chipping Sparrow showed a liking towards the black-oil sunflower seeds, but not by much. They all did show habits on which seed they went to, which can be seen by my data.

If I were to do my experiment over again I would add more types of seeds, such as suet, and also different feeders, like a suet feeder. I’d also like to do it at a time of year when more types of birds are out, not just the three that I had in my data.

Benefit to Community and/or Science
Many people like to put bird seed out in the winter to make sure the birds have enough food when the findings are tough. But if the birds do not eat it, then it is a waste of money. One reason for birds not eating it is they do not like the food, and reasons for that could be the seeds have too hard of a shell or the birds just don't like them period. A way to fix this is find out what kind of seed the birds in your area prefer, through an experiment like mine.

Background Research
From what I can find, there are between 60 and 80 species of bird in the Granite State. Approximately 24 of these are found on my property (see list). Many of these birds eat generally the same things in the wild, from nuts to berries to seeds, as all birds do. But some have preferences, or things they like better. Such as finches enjoy types of millets, nuthatches and woodpeckers like suet, and generally all of these like the ever popular classic, the black-oil sunflower seeds.

Each “seed” is made of different “seeds”- yes, what a shocker that seeds are made of seeds. But when you buy bird “seed”, it is often a mix of different seeds, nuts, fruits, or vegetables. Seed is not the only thing birds eat, some, such as orioles or hummingbirds drink nectar. Many people make “nectar” using water and sugar, and sometimes a dash of food coloring for color.

But birds don’t just need to eat. They also need grit to digest. Grit, a soft granule, is eaten after the food. Grit can be kept on a flat surface near a feeder for easy access to the birds. And speaking of access, certain foods are opened, or accessed, different ways. One reason the black-oil sunflower seed is so popular is the soft shell, almost paper-like. It does not take much effort to open it up, just a crack in the beak.

Abstract
To be honest, my project was not my own original idea. It came pretty much straight off a website, with very little tweaking from me. But as soon as I saw the idea, I liked it. I've always enjoyed animals of all types, reptiles and birds especially. Though I may not be directly interacting with them, I still enjoy just looking at them, the way that wild animals are meant to be dealt with. And even just sitting in a chair with a notebook, pencil, and camera, it still seems fun to me. But back to the project.

I was thinking of ways to collect data, going back and forth from massing the seed to counting the birds, or possibly both. In the end I decided on counting, the massing would be quite hard. I'd have to somehow dump out all three sections of my feeder at different times into different locations/bags. I'd then put it on a scale, get the weight in pounds, then convert it into grams. I'm not saying I wanted to take the easy route, to me it would seem more accurate by count manually rather than letting a machine do it.