THE UNIVERSITY OF HULL What Makes Bird Feeders Attractive to Birds? Implications for Wild Bird Feeder Design being a Thesis submitted for the Degree of MSc Biological Sciences in the University of Hull by Luke Rothery BSc September 2015 1 Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 4 Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 6 Urbanisation .............................................................................................................................. 8 Supplementary Feeding ............................................................................................................ 9 Benefits of supplementary feeding ....................................................................................... 9 Survival .................................................................................................................................. 9 Reproduction ...................................................................................................................... 10 Population Distributions and Species Diversity .................................................................. 11 Negative effects of supplementary feeding ........................................................................ 11 Survival and Reproduction .................................................................................................. 11 Range Expansion of Non Natives ........................................................................................ 12 Health and Disease ............................................................................................................. 12 Foraging Preferences in Animals............................................................................................. 13 Decisions and the Importance of Decision making in Animals ........................................... 13 Colour preferences in animals ................................................................................................ 14 Food Selection ..................................................................................................................... 14 Colour Preference relating to Supplementary Feeders .......................................................... 17 Perch Design ........................................................................................................................... 24 The Importance of UV in bird vision ....................................................................................... 25 Aims and Objectives .................................................................................................................... 27 Experiment 1: Feeder colour .................................................................................................. 27 Experiment 2: Human preference for feeder colour .............................................................. 27 Experiment 3: Perch design .................................................................................................... 28 Experiment 4: UV Preference ................................................................................................. 28 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 29 Field Experiments (avian preference) ..................................................................................... 29 Study Materials (Field) ............................................................................................................ 33 Experiment 1: Avian Colour Preference .................................................................................. 35 Experiment 3: Avian Preference of Perch Design ................................................................... 37 Experiment 4: Avian Preference of UV Coating ...................................................................... 39 Experimental Design and Protocol .......................................................................................... 40 Human colour preference ....................................................................................................... 44 2 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 45 Results ......................................................................................................................................... 46 Experiment 1: Colour Preference............................................................................................ 46 Species Specific Colour Preference ......................................................................................... 48 Species Specific Preference Graphs ........................................................................................ 50 Species Specific Colour Preference: GLM output ................................................................... 52 Feeder Depletion (Colour) ...................................................................................................... 56 Experiment 2: Human Preference .......................................................................................... 58 Age specific Preference ........................................................................................................... 60 Avian and Human Combined Colour Preference .................................................................... 63 Experiment 3: Perch Design Preference ................................................................................. 66 Species Specific Perch Design Preference ............................................................................... 69 Species Specific Preference Graphs ........................................................................................ 70 Species Specific Perch Design Preference: GLM output ......................................................... 71 Feeder Depletion (Perch) ........................................................................................................ 74 Experiment 4: UV Preference ................................................................................................. 76 Species specific UV colour preference .................................................................................... 78 Discussion.................................................................................................................................... 80 What are the overall preferences ........................................................................................... 80 Species difference in colour preference ................................................................................. 85 Why are longer perches preferred ......................................................................................... 87 Marketing Outcomes: Designing a bird feeder to attract more individuals or species .......... 89 Opportunities for Future Research ......................................................................................... 90 References: ................................................................................................................................. 95 Appendix: .................................................................................................................................. 106 3 Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to the following for their help throughout this project: To Dr Lesley Morrell and Professor Graham Scott for their support, guidance and supervision throughout To Westland Horticulture for providing the funding for this project in addition to the bird feeders and seed used. To Victor Swetez for his practical expertise To Matthew Walker for his invaluable help and knowledge with regards 3D printing and the designing of 3D objects To Richard and the staff/volunteers at Tophill Low Nature Reserve for all their help and their allowing us to use the site for data collection 4 Abstract With ever increasing levels of habitat destruction and degradation across the globe, many avian populations are being displaced from their historic environments and home ranges towards towns and cities in the search for food and/or shelter. One way to support and sustain the displaced populations would be to use the bird feeding industry with its large global footprint; using supplementary feeders in order to increase the level of food resource readily available in an environment. The use of bird feeders in both urban and semi urban gardens, parks and green spaces is becoming increasingly important in order to provide sufficient nutrients to sustain populations, given the constant increase in environmental stress. One way to achieve the increased transfer of nutrients to avian populations would be to make supplementary feeders more attractive to birds. This will benefit birds by providing a more attractive reliable food source during winter, benefit people by attracting more birds to parks and gardens and benefit the industry by allowing for the focus marketability of feeders most preferred by specific species. Currently no work has been done on the colour preference for feeders in temperate