Seed Preference of Three Species of Songbirds at Wild Bird Feeders Lauren D. Lewis Undergraduate Student Department of Biology Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN 38505

Project Summary Objective: Do Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, and American Goldfinch exhibit seed preference when feeding at bird feeders? Control: Generic wild bird seed mixture Testing: White proso millet, black-oil sunflower seed, thistle seed Expected results: All three species show a preference for the individual seed types and show relative preference between types.

Introduction Problem Statement: Do these three species of songbird show seed preference when supplied with commercial seed? Most prefer white proso millet and black-oil sunflower seed (Geis 1980) Cardinals prefer sunflower over other wild seed, but commercial seed was not tested (Willson and Harmeson 1973) Addition of other seed types increases species richness and individual species abundance (Horn 1999)

Methods and Materials Multiple offer experiment Identical feeders Formal observation sessions beginning at least 3 days after experimental seed is in place All birds within 1 m of feeder counted Feeders filled at beginning of week and as needed All observations conducted during good weather conditions Method designed by Horn (1999) to determine effect of seed variation on species richness and individual abundance Data form

Expected Results and Benefits Prove that the species show a preference for certain seeds over others Benefits: –Increased species richness –Increased individual species abundance

Project Timeline Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6 Preliminary Feeding Observation of Stations Tasks Recording of Data Data Analysis

Budget Seed Trays: $ Bird Seed: Other Supplies: Miscellaneous: Total: $270.00

Questions?