How Birds Survive the Winter Cold
Wild Birds that do not migrate have interesting strategies for survival in the cold winter, both natural and some that are provided by our caring customers at Wild Birds Unlimited in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. Those customers often ask what they can do to help winter resident birds survive, such as Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, and White-breasted Nuthatches that they see in their yards. Birds survive winter in part by using layers of feathers that they fluff out, trapping air which then insulates them. Fall molt is when birds increase the number of feathers that they have, growing as much as 30% more feathers than in warmer months, adding to their ability to keep out the cold. Smaller birds have more