Birds of a Feather Bathe Together

Overview

Objectives/Goals The purpose of my project was to determine whether birds prefer the upper or lower level of birdbaths. The materials I used were a two-level birdbath, water, and a video camera to record the data. I built a birdbath and filled it with water. I monitored the birds for eight hours a day for eleven days. I then reviewed the video footage to determine how many birds drank or bathed in the birdbath. Results A total of 78 birds visited the birdbath in a nine-day period. Fifty-one birds visited the top level and 27 birds visited the lower level. Of the total number of birds that visited the birdbath, sixty five percent (65%)of birds preferred the top level and thirty-five percent (35%) of birds preferred the bottom level. Conclusions/Discussion As you can see in my findings, most of the birds went to the top of the birdbath rather than the lower part. From my research, I discovered that this is because smaller birds feel safer on the bottom because they are more protected from predators. Larger birds feel more comfortable being on the top level because they can see predators more easily and since they are bigger, can escape from the top level.

Competition history

• CSEF 2009 Zoology · Entry J2429

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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