Sara Conklin
Parental behavior of a population of Eastern Bluebirds on the Penn State Ag Progress Fields was tested and recorded with and without a provided food source of mealworms. Parental behavior was observed for 30 minutes without and then 30 minutes with mealworms. Male and female feedings of offspring, mealworm tray visitations, and mealworm use in offspring feeding were all tallied. Females changed their parental behavior with the presence of the mealworms, whereas males did not.