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The purpose of this experiment was to determine how birdfeeder color affected the amount of seed eaten by birds.

I became interested in this idea because every winter when it got cold I put birdseed out for the birds and I wanted to find out how to make more birds come to my feeders. I thought the color of the feeder might matter.

The information gained from this experiment could affect anyone who wanted birds in their yard, or wanted to feed birds in the winter. People who work for the Department of Fish and Wildlife might also be interested.

What Seeds Do Birds Prefer to Eat?

Are you curious about the birds that live in your neighborhood? Would you like to find out more about them: what they look like close up, what they eat, how they sing? In this project you'll build a bird feeding platform with four separate feeding areas. You'll be able to observe birds at close range, find out what birds inhabit your area, and learn about their seed-eating preferences. So get out your woodworking tools and binoculars, and get ready to see some birds.

With a Little Bread as Bait, Can You Make a Bird Migrate?

You might like to play in the autumn leaves and winter snow, but have you noticed that many birds don't like to stick around for the cold weather? And instead of the birds you're used to seeing in the warm months, your new feathered friends might be Canada geese. Why is that? Various types of birds and other animals travel from one place to another either in search of food, warmer temperatures, or other things they need to survive. This type of traveling is called migration. Try starting your own miniature bird migration in this science fair project!.

Can You Predict a Bird's Lifestyle Based on Its Feet?

Animals survive in all sorts of extreme environments, whether it's a polar bear out and about when its -40°F, a desert iguana trying to find food as the temperature rises to 110°F, or a deep sea anglerfish living 3281 feet down into the sea. How do they do it? The answer is adaptations! Their bodies have special features that allow them to live in those environments. You might not be able to dive down 3281 feet to observe the deep sea anglerfish, but in this science fair project you can discover what the adaptations of birds in your own backyard tell you about their lifestyles.

The Effect of Bird Formation on Flight Efficiency

This project studied the amount of energy birds saved by flying in a V formation compared to solo flight. My hypothesis was that flying in formation reduces wind drag and leads to greater flight efficiency. I focued on Pink-Footed Geese because published information on this bird species was readily available. My work was unique because it used a wind tunnel rather than mathematical models.

Humwhere over the Rainbow: Do Hummingbirds Prefer Colored
Nectar from the Warm End of the Color Spectrum?

The objective of our project was to determine if hummingbirds preferred colored nectar from the warm end of the color spectrum (red, yellow) versus the cool end (blue, violet). Knowing that hummingbirds are attracted to red and orange flowers, we predicted that they would prefer colored nectar that resembled those flowers. Further studies showed that other variables must be considered, including color order, height, position, location, and color of feeder.

Bird Feeders come in different shapes, sizes and colors, cost very little and can also be made or customized by yourself.  Some types focus on certain species or features such as Hummingbird, Oriole, Squirrel Proof, Suet, Thistle, Hopper or Tube. See more examples in videos below made by Ergonica producers.

Casa Blanca Gardens Bird Bar

Despite the competition between sometimes predatory flying creatures, a few mourning doves, bandtailed pigeons and hummingbirds in this video clip find a comfortable feeding environment in the Casa Blanca gardens.  Relax with the ukelele theme music to set the tone. The innovative Bird Bar is a unique structure made of a perforated sign post and is capable of supporting and arranging numerous bird feeders in interesting patterns. Enjoy this scene titled --Bird Bar for Big Birds and Small Birds and Mother Birds-- (published on Mother's Day and dedicated to all moms and bird moms, too)

Although the birds seem to get along OK, an interesting science project could be designed to test whether the spacing between feeders on the bar could affect bird feeding traffic among different species. Does the traffic or the amount of food consumed increase or decrease in proportion to the intervening space? To control for seasonal factors, it would be necessary to run the experiment in two separate bars simultaneously, each with different spacing between similar bird feeders. Each bar would have one hopper feeder for larger birds and one tube feeder for smaller birds, for example. The bars should be at least 20 feet apart to avoid cross contamination. Give yourself at least two weeks for a good experimental test. You can also run more tests in sequence with different spacing for a larger range of distances. If you have hummingbirds in your area, you can also have fun with these tiny powerhouses who seem to fear nothing. The bar shown in our own experiment in this video is 48 inches long. In future videos we will show how we have used other perforated sign posts of different lengths and widths to expand the bird bar in different directions. Stay tuned to our YouTube channel called raymuser. We can share your experiments with others, as well, and all help to accomodate more wild birds, many of whom are losing their natural habitats because of growing land developments, industrialization and agriculture. See more about the bird extinction crisis from the Center for Biological Diversity.

Rodent Protection Spacing

How far can a rat jump? What surfaces can they climb? If you have a hampster wheel, you know they have a lot of energy and strength. In the video below we show how we redesigned our bird feeder arrangement to protect our feeders from some very ambitious and hungry rats. For your science project we suggest you design a set of feeders with different spacing and a way to measure the food eaten by rats and / or a video camera trap, such as our night security camera made by Reolink that uses infrared light.

Interesting experiments may be conducted to test bird preference for different feeder shapes and sizes or the distance between feeders.  You may possibly invent a new feeder shape and show how it performs better than others.  In designing new feeder shapes, you should explore existing products on the market as well as patents of bird feeders to determine if your shape is truly unique.  You may find that many interesting designs have been patented and never successfully sold on the market. Be sure to protect any new invention by a patent.  See available types of bird feeders at Ergonica Superstore.

Squirrels vs Birds vs Rats - How to Defend Bird Feeders from Rodents