Brenda Anaya & Julia Salinas

Environmental Science
John Horton
June 11, 2014

Birdbox Study: What Can Local Bird Species Teach Us About The Theory of Evolution by
Natural Selection?

Introduction:
Every organism found on our planet originated from one single ancestor. All organisms
are related, but some are more closely related compared to others. This is also known as the
process of evolution which can be divided into two parts called natural selection and artificial
selection. Natural selection is the process where organisms with favorable traits are able to
survive and reproduce in a specific area. In order to better understand the theory of evolution, we
were given the essential question of How can we assess the evolutionary fitness of our local
birds? We decided to answer this question by comparing the nesting success of both an invasive
species and native species. Our hypothesis is that the nesting successes of both native and
invasive species are similar because of their similar behaviors and characteristics. In order to
capture data on their nesting success, we placed several different birdboxes within a walking
distance of our school. The two species of birds we decided to focus on were the invasive house
sparrow and the native Carolina Wren. On a regular basis, the bird boxes were constantly
observed for any signs of inhabitants and/or nesting material, eggs and young.

Materials:
Binoculars
Bird box
Data Sheet
Clipboard
Pen/Pencil

Methods:
1. Build a couple birdboxes with a firm hold and a side door.
2. Distribute the bird boxes in local area fair walking distance from one another.
3. Create a data table listing the different elements that needs to be observed.
4. Observe birdboxes from a reasonable distance and record listed data and field notes (such
as fly-bys or birds chirpings) for five minutes.
5. After five minutes, cautiously approach the birdbox and peek inside to see if any eggs,
adults or young are present.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 over the course of a few months each day or every week.

Results:
Birdbox #1
#of fly-
bys
Adults
on Box
Adults
in Box
Nest
Material
Eggs
Present
Young
Present
Weather Field Notes
5/12/14 10 No No Yes No No - Sunny
-Winds
- Cardinal
- Robin
5/22/14 7 No No Yes No No -Cloudy - Many chirping sounds
5/23/14 11 No No Yes No No -Cloudy - Many birds are around the
trees around the birdbox, might
be considering taking over.

Birdbox #4
#of fly-
bys
Adults
on Box
Adults
in Box
Nest
Material
Eggs
Present
Young
Present
Weather Field Notes
5/22/14 1 No No Yes No No - Cloudy - Robin
- Cat Bird
- Squirrel
5/23/14 7 No Yes Yes No No - Cloudy - Carolina Wren flew inside
and outside the nest.
- Robin, Oriole
- More than 4 Wren parents
around.
5/28/14 3 No No Yes Yes
(3eggs)
No - Cloudy - Cat Bird
- Birdbox is close someone
might of nailed the top?
5/4/14 7 No No Yes Yes
(5eggs)
No - Windy - Cat Bird
- Back of the birdbox is
coming off.

Conclusion:
Overall, based on our experiment the Carolina Wren and the House Sparrows dont have
similar behaviors. While the Carolina Wren inhabited birdbox number 4, the House Sparrow
only left some nesting material, barely making a nest. In addition, we were able to see the Wren
active with its nest and eggs throughout our observations. The House Sparrow, on the other hand,
remained unknown as it never approached the birdbox. After completing our experiment, we
have noticed several spots of error that might have affected our results. One being that our
birdboxes fell apart. When we went out to observe the birdbox, we noticed that it had fallen apart
and had to be removed. We couldnt further collect data for the House Sparrow, but continued
observing the Wren. Another source of error could be human interference. We do not know
whether the birdbox was vandalized or if it was due to poor construction. There was another case
with the Wrens birdbox that someone had nailed the top shut when the Wren had purposely
opened it. Because of the human interference, there was a possibility that the Wren would not
return and effect our experiment. When these errors are addressed, there can be more ways to
prevent these situations from happening again. Also, there could be further experimentation done
on the how the location of the birdbox favors of which species if this project was extended to
make more observations. This birdbox study made us become more aware of the outside species
who are able to survive and reproduce, furthering their own evolutionary fitness.