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Jessica O=Neil #15
3-19-04
Science
Mr. Myers
1) Abstract 1
2) Acknowledgments 2
3) Introduction 3
a) Statement of Problem 3
b) Hypothesis 3
4) Hummingbird Research Paper 4
5) Experiment Design 10
6) Materials 11
7) Procedures 12
8) Experimental Results 14
9) Conclusion 18
10) Recommendation 19
11) Bibliography 20
12) Appendix 21
I hoped to discover what color sugar water, the hummingbirds in my area
preferred out of red, green, yellow, clear, and blue. Using the results of this
experiment, I hope people will be able to attract more of these beautiful birds to
their backyards. First I filled five, 16oz feeders with a sugar concentration of 1
part sugar to 4 parts water, in the colors of red, green, blue, yellow, and clear. I
then hung the feeders up on the eves of my house, each two feet apart. Every
weekend I switched the order of the feeders, to ensure it was the color, not
placement, of the feeders that the hummingbirds preferred. To end the project, I
measured the amount of sugar water left in each feeder to find out which color
they preferred. The results of the experiment were as follows: tied in first place
with the most sugar water consumed was yellow and red, next was blue sugar
water and tied in last place was green and clear sugar water. My conclusion is that
hummingbirds are not only attracted to red sugar water, but all bright colors that
stand-out from their environment. For instance the red, yellow, and blue stood out
from the grey of the house, unlike the clear. I believe the green was not chosen
often by the hummingbirds, because the color is that of leaves. To attract
hummingbirds to your backyard, I suggest using the bright colors of red, yellow,
and blue sugar water in your feeders.
I would like to thank the many people who helped make this project
possible. First, I=d like to give a special thank-you to my mother, Lotte O=Neil,
who walked with me every step of the way. I=d like to thank my dad, Douglas
O=Neil, for helping me with computer related tasks. Thank-you also to my
teachers, Mr. Scott and Mr. Myers for encouraging me to enter the Sacramento
Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Last, but certainly not least, I wish to
thank my sister, Melissa-May O=Neil, for her good advice and letting me borrow
her hummingbird laser crystal.
Hummingbirds, to me, are the jewels of the wild. They are small, agile and I
love their beautiful iridescent coloring. At my home in Auburn, California,
hummingbirds over the years have come to our clear sugar water, vacuum type
feeder. After seeing such beautiful birds like the Anna=s Hummingbird and the
Black-chinned Hummingbird, I wished to learn more about their eating
preferences. My goal being, to attract even more of these gorgeous creatures to my
back yard.
I hope to discover what color sugar water the hummingbirds in my area
prefer. My goal is that the results of my experiment will help people, bring more
hummingbirds to their backyards.
I believe that the wild hummingbirds in my area, will prefer red sugar water
above yellow, clear, green, and blue sugar water.
Hummingbirds have amazed people through the ages. With flashing
colors, unique flight, and curiosity toward humans, both three-year olds, and
scientists can enjoy these fascinating creatures. For being so small, these beautiful
birds are very territorial. You might think that hummingbirds would use their long
beaks like a sword, but their amazing instinct tells them not to risk damage. To
attract these gorgeous hummingbirds, you can simply hang a commercial type
feeder with sugar water in your back-yard. In a short while you will likely see
many of these dazzling creatures at your own house.
Hummingbirds must feed about every ten minutes! These minuscule
creatures eat about 2/3 of their body weight every day, and don=t gain an ounce.
They need this much food to carry on their energetic lifestyles and to maintain a
body temperature of 105 F. Hummingbirds can go into torpor to save energy.
Torpor is the ability to slow down all bodily functions, including body
temperature. This is most important when food is scarce or bad whether sets in.
Hummingbirds eat mostly nectar, from flowers and feeders, and receive their
protein from insects and spiders. It=s like Bob Sargent said, A Hummers need
nectar to power the bug eating machine that they are@. Research has shown that
hummingbirds are not just attracted to red flowers, but colorful ones.
Hummingbirds look for brightly colored flowers, but they will choose a dull
flower with a 20% - 25% sugar concentration, over a bright flower with a weak
sugar concentration. The sugar concentration is more important to a hummingbird
than color.
This dazzling bird has a long, clear, forked, and fringed tongue. They take
an average of thirteen licks per second, when drinking nectar from a flower! A
hummingbird=s tongue soaks up nectar, like a paper towel soaks up water. These
beautiful birds have a very good memory and can remember good food sources,
like certain flower patches or feeders. Some species, like the Anna=s Hummingbird
do not migrate, so you can enjoy them all year long. Doing migration some
hummingbirds have been recorded eating sap from trees that, Sapsuckers and
Woodpeckers have already bored holes in.
Perching helps the fascinating hummingbird save energy. When convenient,
a hummingbird will perch on a leaf or twig while drinking nectar. This intriguing
bird spends an amazing 80% of its time perching. Hummingbirds would rather
starve than drink spoiled sugar water and, will leave if your feeder is dirty. A
scientist once stranded one Anna=s, and one Rufus hummingbird in sub-zero
temperatures, and they were perfectly healthy! Hummingbirds are tough and
fearless little creatures. They can find food almost anywhere like gardens, parks,
and yards, and don=t mind life in the city.
One reason the hummingbird must constantly be looking for food is, it=s fast
wing beat of 55 beats per second! The average flight speed of a hummingbird is 25
miles per hour. These masters of flight can fly left, right, up, down, upside down,
and the most shocking, backwards. This is possible, because of the hummingbirds
unique wing structure. Unlike most other birds, these iridescent creatures have
only one movable joint, at the shoulder. This enable them to move like a
helicopter. That=s not the only interesting thing about a hummingbird=s structure.
In proportion, a hummingbird=s chest muscles are the largest in the bird family. In
fact 25% of their body weight is their muscles. The hummingbird is the only bird
whom gets power on the down and up strokes. When hovering a hummingbird
holds it=s body upright, and flaps it=s wings horizontally, in a shallow figure eight.
Surprisingly enough, if a hummingbird wishes to move even two inches, it must
fly. They have a very good sense of vision, but have no sense of smell.
Hummingbirds can not walk, their feet are too small. The largest hummingbird is
the Giant Hummingbird and it is about 8 inches long and weighs 20 grams. The
smallest hummingbird, is the Bee Hummingbird and by contrast it is 2 inches long
and weighs less than 2 grams. Most hummingbirds migrate. Many species travel
north in the summer and return south when it gets cold. The Rufous Hummingbird
flies as far north as Alaska.
Hummingbirds are very territorial creatures. They will attack other
hummingbirds, insects, and even blue jays, crows, and hawks, if they enter the
hummingbird=s territory. Only the males dive bomb to protect their territory. When
fighting, hummingbirds use their beaks and claws as weapons. During a fight,
hummingbirds will often collide with a loud thud. These battles are for food, like
feeders. Male and female hummingbirds establish separate territories. Females
build the nest, which could take a week, and raise the young. The average
hummingbird lives four years and the oldest recorded was twelve years . The
males only protect food sources. He will not even let his mate drink from his
flowers. The male takes no part in building the nest or raising the young.
As surprising as it may seem, hummingbirds take sunbaths! They fluff their
feathers, stretch their neck and fan their tail. When grooming, hummingbirds will
use their beak and claws as combs. They use oil from a gland near their tail to
groom and tend to the veins of every feather. Hummingbirds will also groom their
head and neck with their claws and are known to rub their head and necks on
twigs. A hummingbirds feathers are five times denser than most birds, making a
richer, but harder to keep coat. Hummingbirds prefer to bathe in a cupped leaf or
shallow pool. Regular bird baths are too deep. Like most birds, hummingbirds will
throw their heads back to get water on their backs. They are also well known to
bathe on the run. They dart through sprinklers or hoses. One lady declared, that a
hummingbird darted through the spray of her watering can several times before
landing on her finger.
For being so beautiful, hummingbirds are not very musical. In fact, they use
their calls to ward off intruders from their territory. During courtship, the male will
lure a female through posture and sound. He will then either repeatedly fly in a U-
shaped pattern or perform a shuttle flight. During the U-shaped dives, the male=s
bill is always pointed down, and at the peak of the U pattern, he could be quite
high in the air. In the course of the shuttle flights, which both males and females
perform, the AShuttler@ will fly back and forth in front of the hummingbird, that he
or she is trying to impress. During this ritual, the tail and gorget might be
displayed. The gorget is the iridescent patch of feathers on a hummingbird=s neck.
After courtship the female builds a nest from leaves, sticks, grass, flower petals,
and/or lichen. She holds the nest together with spider web. The females are less
colorful for better camouflage, so she can protect the nest without being seen.
Female hummingbirds usually lay two tiny egg and will incubate them for about
two weeks. The young hummingbirds will leave the nest three to four weeks after
hatching. Males are brightly colored for courtship and defending their territory.
Of the 330 species of hummingbirds in the world, only 17 have ventured
north of Mexico. Only in the Americas, will you find the fragments of rainbow
called hummingbirds. The main threats to North American hummingbirds are
small falcons, preying mantises, and getting caught in spider webs. Hummingbirds
living or visiting North America are well feed with feeders and plenty of flowering
plants. Not all hummingbirds are as lucky as the ones that live in North America.
In Central and South America the rainforest are being destroyed by humans. That
means no food and no nesting grounds for the precious hummingbirds. We must
stop this destruction to help the survival of the hummingbirds, for future
generations to enjoy their amazing beauty and stunning flight.
I) VARIABLE TO BE CHANGED:
* 5 feeders: each with a different color ; one red, one yellow, one blue, one green, one clear.
II) VARIABLE TO BE MEASURED:
* Sugar water left in feeder after color was added and 4 weeks of availability to hummingbirds.
III) CONTROLS
* 5 same brand and size feeders. One feeder for each color category.
a)All feeders hung outside at same time, 2 feet apart.
b)Same amount and strength of sugar water solution.
c)Each week order was changed: insured color, not placement, was favored.
The control group would be: Feeder with non-colored sugar water.
IV) HOW MEASUREMENTS WERE DONE
* All feeders were brought in at same time. Individually measured remaining sugar water.
5 Perky-Pet Brand Hummingbird feeders, 16oz.
1 Plastic Measuring Cup, 16oz.
1 Plastic Bowl, 4.3L.
16oz Granulated Sugar
64oz Tap Water
1 Stirring Utensil
1 Glass Measuring Cup, 16oz
1 Hammer
5 Nails
10 drops Red Food Coloring
10 drops Yellow Food Coloring
10 drops Green Food Coloring
10 drops Blue Food Coloring
1 Plastic Funnel
1. The five Perky-Pet hummingbird feeders were cleaned with warm water. Used no soap.
2. I assembled Perky-Pet hummingbird feeders.
3. Using the 16oz plastic measuring cup, I added 64oz of tap water to the 4.3 liter bowl.
4. Using the 16oz glass measuring cup, I added 16oz of granulated sugar to the 4.3 liter bowl.
5. I stirred using the stirring utensil until sugar was dissolved.
6. Using the 16oz plastic measuring cup, I transferred 16oz of the sugar water into the 16oz glass measuring cup. I did this to prevent from staining the plastic.
7. I then added 10 drops of red food coloring into the 16oz glass measuring cup.
8. Using the stirring utensil, I stirred this mixture until it had a consistent red color.
9. Using the funnel, pour the red sugar water mixture into assembled feeder.
10. To prevent leakage, I made sure the bottom piece of the feeder was on tightly.
11. I repeated steps 6 - 10 to fill three more feeders, except on step 7, used yellow food coloring on the first feeder, green on the second feeder, and blue on the third.
12. The fifth, and last feeder was my control, so I filled it with sugar water, using no food coloring.
13. I cleaned the dishes and put things where they belonged.
14. My mother hammered five nails, two feet apart, into the eves of the house.
15. With a black marker, I marked the fill line on each feeder.
16. I hung one feeder on each nail.
17. I switched the order of feeders every weekend.
18. To conclude the experiment, I brought the feeders inside.
19. I then measured the remaining sugar water in each feeder by pouring it into the 16oz glass measuring cup.
20.
Last, I recorded how much sugar water was left in each
feeder.
During my experiment, I observed many intriguing things. One interesting
fact was that, in the beginning of the project a male Calliope Hummingbird was
defending the sugar water feeders. Even though he was full, the male
hummingbird still guarded the feeders while perching on a tall lilac bush. He even
dive bombed a woodpecker feeding on a peanut butter suet hanging on the lilac
bush. We still see the male Calliope Hummingbird, but he now seem to be a little
more accepting of other hummingbirds coming to the feeders. I feel that he was
defeated in a battle with an other male hummingbird and is trying to lay low.
Every time I sat outside on the patio to record my observations, the
hummingbirds would chirp at me from a tree. They would then be silent for a
minute or two, and one by one, zoom up to a sugar water feeder and drink until
they were saturated. At no time did I see more than one hummingbird at the
feeders. While observing, I noticed that the hummingbirds always used the perch
when drinking, instead of hovering.
The species of hummingbird that I saw most often was the Black-Chinned
Hummingbird. It is the most common hummingbird in the western half of the
United States. This hummingbird also migrates south to Mexico during the winter.
I have also seen several Calliope Hummingbirds visiting the sugar water feeders.
It is the smallest hummingbird in the United States. Two other hummingbirds that
breed in my area(though I did not see any) are the Anna=s Hummingbird and the
Rufous Hummingbird. The Anna=s Hummingbird does not migrate. The Rufous
Hummingbird breeds as far north as Alaska. This hummingbird migrates the
farthest of all species.
All species of hummingbirds zoomed strait up to the feeder that they had
chosen, instead of hovering and then deciding which color to go for. In the end, it
was clear that the hummingbirds in my area preferred red, yellow, and blue sugar
water above the rest.
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The results of my experiment showed me, that my hypothesis was partly
right. As you can see from the graphs, hummingbirds, surprisingly, liked yellow
sugar water just as much as red. From my results, I have conclude that
hummingbirds prefer, not just red, but brightly colored sugar water. I believe that
the clear sugar water was not favored by the hummingbirds, because it would
blend with any environment behind it, and green sugar water, because it was the
color of leaves. To attract these amazing masters of flight to you backyard, I
suggest coloring the sugar water red, yellow, or blue.
From my results I would recommend using red, yellow, or blue sugar water
in your feeder, in order to attract more hummingbirds to your backyard. Further
research, to find out if hummingbirds prefer dull colored sugar water with high
sugar concentration, over brightly colored sugar water with weak sugar
concentration, would be helpful and informative.
Aziz, Laurel. Hummingbirds. New York: Firefly Books, 2002.
Biel, Timothy Levi. Hummingbirds. California: Wildlife Education, Ltd., 2000.
Day, Susan, Ron Rovansek and Jack Griggs. The Wildlife Gardener=s Guide to Hummingbirds and Songbirds from the Tropics. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2003.
Dennis,
John V., and Mathew Tekulsky. How to
Attract Hummingbirds &
Butterflies. San Ramon: Ortho Books, 1991.
Hummingbird World. Larry and Terry Gates. 1999-2003. Portal, Arizona.
http://www.hummingbirdworld.com
Hummingbirds.net. Lanny Chambers. 1995-2004.
http://www.hummingbirds.net
Rauzon, Mark J. Hummingbirds. Canada: Franklin Watts, 1997.
Stefoff, Rebecca. Hummingbird. New York: Benchmark Books, 1997.
