William Porter, Sophomore Benjamin Wood, Sophomore William Stamper, Sophomore
Scientific Research program at Islands High School, Savannah, GA
Abstract The Effects of Habitat Orientation on Songbird Reproductive Success
Reproductive success in local songbirds is affected by the orientation of nest boxes toward grass, water, and forests. The habitats near or around the nest boxes create an environment that allows the birds to be successful. The study site contained a large grassy area, three water retention ponds, and a natural mature forest around the perimeter. Nest boxes oriented toward these habitat types vary in reproductive success, as measured by the number of eggs and fledglings per nest box. There was a significant difference in the number of eggs between the three nest box orientations toward habitat types (one-way ANOVA; p<0.001). Post hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test indicated that nest boxes oriented toward the forest had significantly more eggs than boxes oriented toward grass and water. The combined importance of orientation with regard to habitat type suggests that nest boxes facing mature trees will have greater success.
