Graduate Program

Biological Sciences

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

2012

Thesis Director

Eric Bollinger

Thesis Committee Member

Andrew Methven

Thesis Committee Member

Jill Deppe

Abstract

I observed feeding of nestlings in Eastern Bluebirds in nest boxes in east-central Illinois. Provisioning rate of males and females were compared and early observation periods (younger nestlings) were compared with late observation periods (older nestlings). I also compared the average food size brought to the nestlings by males and females and during early and late observations. No significant differences were found between average food sizes throughout the study. In addition, food size was not significantly correlated with mean nestling weights within a brood. However, males had significantly fewer confirmed feedings than females for the last observation period. In addition, there was a significant increase in female's confirmed feedings from the first observation period to the last, whereas the overall number of nest visits by males decreased significantly from the first observation period. I found no significant correlation between either total visitation rates or confirmed feeding rates and mean nestling weights within a brood. Finally, parents of broods with high weight variation (sometimes created by artificially increasing hatching spans) did not appear to increase the size variation of the foods they brought to the nest.

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