Category

Poster - Theoretical Proposal

Description

Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) are known cavity nesters; however, they can often be found using nest boxes. Both the male and female Eastern Bluebird share the responsibilities of caring for their young. Typically, one pair will stay together for several seasons. Eastern Bluebirds often demonstrate assortative mating (choosing a mate like oneself) in the aspect of temperament. Individuals who have a partner with a similar temperament will better protect their nest and have more successful fledglings. What remains unknown in past research is whether bluebirds choose a mate who will equally share the work of raising nestlings and whether equally partitioning pairs will have a higher nestling success rate. In this study, we will observe six Eastern Bluebird pairs and how they care for their young. We hypothesize that equal partition between parents will result in a higher rate of nestling success. Six nest sites will be observed using trail camera images. Short videos will be taken each time a parent visits the nest. Both the male and female will be individually recorded for the number of times they visit the nest. To determine nestling success, the number of eggs will be counted at the beginning of the study and the number of surviving young will be counted at the end of the study. Nests containing a similar number of surviving young to the starting number of eggs shall be considered the most successful. We expect to see a higher nestling success rate with pairs who partition equally versus pairs who do not. Based on the results of this study, other bird species that are known to partition in nest care can be compared. Learning how these birds partition will help us understand their natural behavior in parental care which could be beneficial for future endeavors in conservation. Based on the results of this preliminary study, a more comprehensive study can be done on Bluebirds as well as other birds who share parental duties.

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Undergraduate

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Apr 16th, 1:00 PM

Parental Partitioning and Nest Success in Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis)

Poster - Theoretical Proposal

Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) are known cavity nesters; however, they can often be found using nest boxes. Both the male and female Eastern Bluebird share the responsibilities of caring for their young. Typically, one pair will stay together for several seasons. Eastern Bluebirds often demonstrate assortative mating (choosing a mate like oneself) in the aspect of temperament. Individuals who have a partner with a similar temperament will better protect their nest and have more successful fledglings. What remains unknown in past research is whether bluebirds choose a mate who will equally share the work of raising nestlings and whether equally partitioning pairs will have a higher nestling success rate. In this study, we will observe six Eastern Bluebird pairs and how they care for their young. We hypothesize that equal partition between parents will result in a higher rate of nestling success. Six nest sites will be observed using trail camera images. Short videos will be taken each time a parent visits the nest. Both the male and female will be individually recorded for the number of times they visit the nest. To determine nestling success, the number of eggs will be counted at the beginning of the study and the number of surviving young will be counted at the end of the study. Nests containing a similar number of surviving young to the starting number of eggs shall be considered the most successful. We expect to see a higher nestling success rate with pairs who partition equally versus pairs who do not. Based on the results of this study, other bird species that are known to partition in nest care can be compared. Learning how these birds partition will help us understand their natural behavior in parental care which could be beneficial for future endeavors in conservation. Based on the results of this preliminary study, a more comprehensive study can be done on Bluebirds as well as other birds who share parental duties.

 

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