• Latest
bird: redpol

How do wintering birds survive the cold?

December 3, 2020
Earth Day in Lyons

CO Earth Day events you can participate in all week

April 20, 2021
B&W LaVern

About Town with LaVern Johnson 4/15/21

April 15, 2021
Flash News

Flash News 4/15/21

April 16, 2021
notes from editor

Notes from your editor, 4/15/21

April 15, 2021
EP Duck Race 2021 logo

Rotary Duck Race online, support local nonprofits

April 15, 2021
COVID-19 cases in Second Wave; Facts & DIY Links

COVID APRIL report, counties get self-rule, medical news

April 17, 2021
woman holding up baby in air, in field of flowers

Three opportunities to join others in public gardening

April 15, 2021
Weed Posse, by Cathy Rivers 2020

Weeding adventures begin in Lyons for 2021

April 15, 2021
moose 3/21 by Gosia Pisowicz

Winter Spring Wildlife, photo spread

April 15, 2021
Lyons Elementary School entrance arch

School News: Elementary, Middle, High – April (and sports)

April 16, 2021
woman distracted from meal on counter at home

Poet’s Corner: Chopin for breakfast

April 15, 2021
old-time post card of Meadow Park

History: 1920 Improving Meadow Park

April 15, 2021
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Subscribe FREE!)
The Lyons Recorder
SUPPORT YOUR PAPER
  • News
    • Notes From Your Editor
    • Flash News
    • News Briefs
    • COVID-19
    • Business
    • Government News
    • School News
    • Senior News
    • Sports
    • Obituaries
  • Features
    • Features
    • History
    • Science & Nature
    • Photo Features
    • Wellness & Health
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
    • Opinion
    • About Town with LaVern Johnson
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Calendars
    • Community Calendar
    • Other Calendars
  • Community Resources
    • Community Resources
    • Articles/Lists
    • Town of Lyons
      • Watch Town of Lyons Meetings
    • Boulder County
    • Larimer County
    • School District
    • Fire District
    • Library
    • State Government
  • About Us
    • About
    • Support & Help Wanted
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Notes From Your Editor
    • Flash News
    • News Briefs
    • COVID-19
    • Business
    • Government News
    • School News
    • Senior News
    • Sports
    • Obituaries
  • Features
    • Features
    • History
    • Science & Nature
    • Photo Features
    • Wellness & Health
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
    • Opinion
    • About Town with LaVern Johnson
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Calendars
    • Community Calendar
    • Other Calendars
  • Community Resources
    • Community Resources
    • Articles/Lists
    • Town of Lyons
      • Watch Town of Lyons Meetings
    • Boulder County
    • Larimer County
    • School District
    • Fire District
    • Library
    • State Government
  • About Us
    • About
    • Support & Help Wanted
No Result
View All Result
The Lyons Recorder
No Result
View All Result
Home Nature

How do wintering birds survive the cold?

Donna M. Nespoli by Donna M. Nespoli
December 3, 2020
in Nature
0

Many birds migrate south for the winter but some don’t. So, how do birds survive frigid temperatures? We’ll explore many ways they do this. Some are behavioral, some are physiological.
 
Birds shiver at varying temperatures. A cardinal shivers at 64 degrees Fahrenheit, while a snow bunting will not shiver until it is -10 C/14 degrees Fahrenheit. The main muscle used in shivering is the pectoralis, or breast muscle. Sometimes leg muscles are also used.
 
When birds huddle together it reduces heat losses to the individual. One of our local birds, the Pygmy Nuthatch, beds down together in tree cavities. Golden-crowned kinglets huddle closely together on tree branches. Doves will sit on top of each other in rows forming a pyramid. And the masters of staying warm as a unit, the emperor penguin, can withstand drastic sub-zero temps by huddling.
 
On many cold days, birds appear fatter than they do in summer. This is a bird in a puffed-up state. Birds can retain heat by puffing out and trapping air around its feathers, creating a layer of warmth around itself.
 
Selecting microclimates by finding sheltered places like dense evergreen foliage, natural cavities, or human made structures is another strategy. Ruffed Grouse and the Common Redpoll will even burrow into the snow to escape cold air temperatures. Woodpeckers will excavate their own winter den in trees. 
 

bird: redpol
Common Redpoll (by Brent Daniel)

Temperature regulation is a more complex adaptation to survive the cold.  Some birds, like our beloved Black-capped Chickadee, can lower body temperature by reaching a state of hypothermia.  It saves energy that would normally be used to maintain a high body temperature. Another strategy birds use is called torpor. Torpor is a hibernation-like state of decreased physiological activity. Birds in this state do not respond to stimulus and are incapable of normal activity. Hummingbirds allow their core temperature to drop by a large amount at night, saving up to 27% of their total daily energy expenditure. Both hypothermia and torpor in birds are accomplished in daily cycles rather than over months-long time periods like mammals. 
 
Access to food and water is a huge contributing factor to whether birds can withstand the cold. If a songbird, like a Bushtit, goes without feeding for a day, it may succumb to the cold. Some larger birds can store more fat on their bodies; but they, too, cannot go a long time without eating in winter.
 
Even with all these adaptations, some individual birds do not survive the winter.  We can help our feathered friends in winter by providing food and water. I love nothing more on a snowy winter’s day than to watch my backyard birds congregate at the feeders. Many birds cache extra food, an interesting behavior. Feeding birds is a way we can give back to the environment for all the damage we have imparted. It helps them and is a fun activity for us. So, enjoy your birds—they are miraculous creatures!


 
Reference: Gill, Frank B. Ornithology. New York. W.H. Freeman and Company 2007.

Tags: birdsnaturewildlifewinter
ShareTweet
Previous Post

Lumber Liquors, with Lions Club, donates to Lyons firefighters

Next Post

Flash News 12/3/20

Donna M. Nespoli

Donna M. Nespoli

USFWS and Colorado Licensed Bird and Bat Rehabilitator; Colorado Native Bird Care and Conservation ===Donna Nespoli has degrees in Art and Zoology and works as a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist for her non-profit Colorado Native Bird Care and Conservation. She also works as a vet tech at Lyon's Vet Clinic. Her and her husband Brent, a physicist, have lived in Lyons for 8 years with many, many dogs.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Support & Help Wanted
  • Contact
  • Legal
We are Lyons Strong!

© 2020 Lyons Recorder

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Notes From Your Editor
    • Flash News
    • News Briefs
    • COVID-19
    • Business
    • Government News
    • School News
    • Senior News
    • Sports
    • Obituaries
  • Features
    • Features
    • History
    • Science & Nature
    • Photo Features
    • Wellness & Health
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
    • Opinion
    • About Town with LaVern Johnson
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Calendars
    • Community Calendar
    • Other Calendars
  • Community Resources
    • Community Resources
    • Articles/Lists
    • Town of Lyons
      • Watch Town of Lyons Meetings
    • Boulder County
    • Larimer County
    • School District
    • Fire District
    • Library
    • State Government
  • About Us
    • About
    • Support & Help Wanted

© 2020 Lyons Recorder