Color Preference in the Brown-headed Cowbird

• Nathaniel Harris

  Juniata College

  Author

• Margaret Haigney

  Juniata College

  Author

• Moira McAninch

  Juniata College

  Author

• Shawn Mills

  Juniata College

  Author

• Sydney Weichler

  Juniata College

  Author

This study investigated the color preference of the Brown-headed Cowbird. The cowbird is an intelligent species that exhibits parasitic behavior upon the nests of songbirds, so further understanding of their behavior is important in the conservation of songbird populations. Previous studies have shown that color can affect the feeding patterns of birds in captivity, but less is known about color preference in wild birds. This study hypothesized that Brown-headed Cowbirds would prefer to feed from a blue bowl and was based on previous studies. The Brown-headed Cowbirds were observed through trail cameras over a period of two weeks. Each color bowl was filled with the same amount and type of food, with a black bowl filled with water in the middle to further attract birds. After two weeks, the photos were analyzed with individual feeding events being recorded and translated into Excel. The data was then analyzed using a Chi-Square test, where the p-value was found to be well below the 0.05 required for the result to be significant. The results indicated that Brown-headed Cowbirds prefer to feed from blue bowls, and the null hypothesis was rejected.

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