{"id":1566,"date":"2025-03-19T11:57:48","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T11:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/2025\/03\/19\/surviving-cold-birds-feathered-food-strategy-feathers-food-warmth\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T11:57:48","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T11:57:48","slug":"surviving-cold-birds-feathered-food-strategy-feathers-food-warmth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/2025\/03\/19\/surviving-cold-birds-feathered-food-strategy-feathers-food-warmth\/","title":{"rendered":"Surviving Cold: Birds\u2019 Feathered Food Strategy \u2013 Feathers + Food = Warmth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dark-eyed Junco by\u00a0Sandy Hill\u00a0via\u00a0Birdshare<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On cold winter days I am always astounded that there are any birds left alive, especially considering that most winter feeder visitors weigh in around 10\u201325 grams (the weight of 2-5 nickels)! But it turns out that birds employ many of the same strategies I was using inside my house\u2014plus a couple more\u2014to keep their motors running through cold snaps.<\/p>\n

So\u00a0here\u2019s my 5-step survival guide<\/strong>\u00a0for birds in the cold, complete with links to some fascinating research papers (or at least they were fascinating to me, back in the days when I was a graduate student researching winter survival in Montana).<\/p>\n

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    Blue Jays fill up on needed calories.\u00a0Photo by\u00a0Kathleen\u00a0via\u00a0Birdshare.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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    1. Get Some Friends To Hang Out With<\/h3>\n

    Especially if the weather is crummy. Ever notice that nearly all of the birds that hang around in the winter do so in flocks? Having other birds around makes it less likely that something will eat you;\u00a0more eyes = less chance of a predator sneaking up. Plus, if something does sneak up, you only have to be faster than the guy foraging next to you! Friends are also good at letting you know where the primo food is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

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      A mixed group of birds at a snowy feeder.\u00a0Photo by\u00a0Steve Shelasky\u00a0via\u00a0Birdshare.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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      2. Eat. As Much As Possible<\/h3>\n

      Park yourself in front of a feeder, some seedy plants, or anywhere there is food (preferably the heaviest, fattiest foods possible, like black-oil sunflower and suet, yum!) and consume. If anyone gets in your way, chase them off and keep eating\u2013unless, of course, they chase you off first. However, don\u2019t eat too much, because it also makes you\u00a0slower\u00a0and\u00a0more likely to get eaten.<\/p>\n

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        A fluffed up Black-capped Chickadee.\u00a0Photo by\u00a0Mike Wisnicki\u00a0via\u00a0Birdshare.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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        3. When You Can\u2019t Eat More, Get Puffy And Rest<\/h3>\n

        Your fluffy down feathers help complete the food + feathers = warmth equation. With food in your belly, you can use your metabolism to generate heat. Feathers, in addition to keeping cold air away from your skin, do a great job of trapping body heat instead of letting it dissipate. If you get the chance, tuck a foot or a whole leg up in there. But if you\u2019re a woodpecker\u2013tough luck, because\u00a0you don\u2019t have any down feathers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

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          A Downy Woodpecker in the wind.\u00a0Photo by\u00a0Barbara Lynne\u00a0via\u00a0Birdshare.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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          4. Stay Out Of The Wind<\/h3>\n

          Here\u2019s an important hint: if the wind is blowing, go to the\u00a0other<\/em>\u00a0side of the tree and avoid it. Seems simple, right? But it works\u2013trust me (or trust Dr. Thomas Grubb and his 1977 treatise\u00a0Weather-dependent foraging behavior of some birds in a deciduous woodland: horizontal adjustments). And for any birders out there\u2014you might be surprised how often you see birds doing this (whether to dodge wind or to avoid rain or hot sun) once you start looking for it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

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            An Eastern Screech-Owl roosting in a tree cavity.\u00a0Photo by\u00a0avicentric\u00a0via\u00a0Birdshare.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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            5. Roost In A Cavity<\/h3>\n

            You\u2019ll never find a warmer spot to sleep than in your own down feathers, nestled in a nook small enough that you can warm it up with any extra heat that does escape. Old woodpecker cavities, crannies beneath the eaves of houses, even a tunnel in the snow\u2026 they\u2019re all warmer than spending the night (literally) out on a limb. As an additional trick, some small birds such as kinglets and\u00a0chickadees can drop their body temperature\u00a0and go into controlled hypothermia to save energy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

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              Eastern Bluebirds at a suet feeder.\u00a0Photo by\u00a0Bob Vuxinic\u00a0via\u00a0Birdshare.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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              6. (Bonus Step) Put It All Together<\/h3>\n

              Finally, whenever possible,\u00a0combine guidelines 1-4<\/strong>\u00a0for the ultimate in energy-saving & crop-filling goodness (as illustrated here by these puffy Eastern Bluebirds, perched comfortably within bill\u2019s reach of a cake of fatty suet).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

              \n\t\t\t\t<\/span> Post Views:<\/span> 364<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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              Related<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

              \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Dark-eyed Junco by\u00a0Sandy Hill\u00a0via\u00a0Birdshare. On cold winter days I am always astounded that there are any birds left alive, especially considering that most winter feeder visitors weigh in around 10\u201325 grams (the weight of 2-5 nickels)! But it turns out that birds employ many of the same strategies I was using inside my house\u2014plus a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-khong-phan-loai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adz.clicktoplay.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}