A comparison of foraging behavior of tufted titmice and

chickadeesBy

Fred Singer

Hypotheses

• Tufted titmice spend longer at the feeder than chickadees.

• Tufted titmice open up seeds more quickly than chickadees.

• Tufted titmice fly to branches to locations nearer the feeder when they are processing their seeds.

Tufted titmouse

Black-capped chickadee

Methods

• Research in Radford University alumni gardens

• Feeders with colored perches• Focal animal sampling

Methods continued

• Time at feeder measured with stopwatch

• Determination of time to open seeds• Problems and solutions

• Measurement of distance birds fly• Problems and solutions

Results

• 23 observations of tufted titmice

• 11 observations of chickadees

• 77 minutes of observations

Mean time at feeder

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

Tufted titmouse Chickadee

Mean time at feeder

Seed Handling Time

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Tufted titmouse Chickadee

t = 3.22, P = 0.007

Mean handling time (sec)

Mean

Distance to feeding perch

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Chickadee Tufted titmouseN = 3 chickadees and 6 titmice, t = 0.77, p =

0.54

Mean distance to perch (meters)

Conclusions

• Chickadees and Tufted titmice spend ca. equal time at a feeder

• Chickadees handle seeds more quickly than titmice

• Chickadees fly similar distances after grabbing a seed

Problems and issues

• Birds would fly away after grabbing seeds

• Small sample size

• It was difficult to keep birds in view, and to decide when they were done handling a seed

Ideas for future studies

• Use sunflower seeds of somewhat different sizes to see if each bird species has a preferred size range

• See if behavior changes when other birds are around

Grading Criteria

1 point - Title/names of researchers

2 points - Clear statement of question/hypotheses

4 points - Methods are clearly stated and appropriate for answering question

6 points - Results are clear and corrects including statistical analyses

4 points - Conclusions are valid, point out problems, and identify ideas for further exploration

4 points - Quality of organization and layout

3 points - Artistic appeal

4 points - Presentation is polished with all researchers participating