Science Fair Projects Birds - Food and Color Experiments

Birds make a great test subject for super interesting science fair projects. Science fair projects birds - food and color experiments, for example, can help you understand how birds select food sources. They can also help you to explore how plants have evolved to attract birds so that they will both pollinate their flowers and spread their seeds. Below are several examples of bird zoology science experiments that you can conduct.

Seeds vs. insects is the first option that you have for science fair projects birds - food and color experiments. In this experiment your hypothesis will be that birds have a definite preference of either seeds or insects. To set up your experiment you will need to set out two containers for birds to eat from. One will contain insects and the other seeds. Your job will be to observe the bird feeding behavior and note what species of bird eats from which container.

Science fair projects birds - food and color experiments obviously can examine how birds respond to different colors. One option that you have for biology science fair projects is to see what colors attract birds the most and what colors repel birds. If you find a response trend then try to explain it. For example, hummingbirds are attracted to red and orange. Why do you think this is?

Color patterns can also be used as a variable for your science fair experiments. You can develop a hypothesis, like birds are more attracted to solid color patterns than multicolor patterns. To test this hypothesis you will want to set up color panels in an area frequented by birds. Write down notes in your project journal about what panel the birds seem to be more attracted to. What does this tell you about birds?

If you are looking for a more advanced science fair project then consider designing a science fair project that tests the hypothesis that the time of day will impact the colors that birds are attracted to. To test this hypothesis you will set up color panels in an area that birds use a lot, like a feeding station. Then sit in a chair far enough away from the test zone so as to not impact the birds' behavior. Observe them all day long and see if their color preferences change.

Another variation on this experiment is to see if the time of year impacts what colors different bird species are attracted to. This is a multi-month project that will require planning ahead. If you find that birds do prefer different colors at different times of the year, try to explain why this is. For example, do birds eat different types of food at different times of the year.