Zoe

= Birds Reacting to Sound =



Question

 * Do Birds Prefer the Sound of Music or the Sound of Bird Calls?

Research Summary

 * During my research, I have discovered that most birds enjoy music; especially songs with an upbeat feel. People mentioned birds liking many different types of genres including jazz, soft rock, pop, classical, and even reggae. Birds sometimes dance or chirp along to music.
 * I chose to use the song "I Love to Singa" by Al Jolson because it is a mix of jazz and pop with classical instruments and it has a nice beat. For the bird call I chose a cardinal bird call because I have seen lots of cardinals around my neighborhood.

Hypothesis

 * I think that birds will react better to music rather than the bird calls. When the birds hear the music, I think they will enjoy it and might even dance. When the birds hear bird calls but don't know where its coming from, I think they might be confused.

Variables

 * Independent Variable: The music and bird calls
 * Dependent Variable: The birds reaction
 * Control: Same bird feeder, same birdseed

Materials

 * Bird feeder (a bright colored one to attract birds)
 * Bird seed
 * A phone (for music)

**Procedure**
 * Set up bird feeder on tree in my front yard
 * Set up phone near the bird feeder with music
 * Set timer for 15 minutes
 * Watch birds reaction to the music
 * Repeat for bird call of a cardinal
 * I will do this every day for a week

Discussion

 * My bird feeder has been up since 8/19/13 and no birds have come.
 * I believe the reason no birds have come to my feeder is because it is in a bad location. It is in the tree in my front yard which is only a few feet away from the road so the close, loud noise probably isn't ideal for birds. I realize this, but it was the only place I could've put it because I have many cats who hang out in my backyard and I didn't want the cats to scare away the birds. If those cats were not there I would have definitely put it in a tree in my backyard and I believe birds would have come there.