By Kat Leister
Happy Science Friday! With the passing of the Spring equinox, the days are getting longer and warmer, and we are hearing more birdsong above our heads! As we soak in the sights and sounds of spring, we wonder, where have the birds been until now? How do animals that weigh 15 grams stay alive in below freezing temperatures?
Shivering: just like people, birds shiver to stay warm! Though, with much higher metabolisms, they are able to do this to keep their body at around 100ºF even when the air around them is 0ºF!
Food storage: Birds store food throughout the year in what are called caches, places within the dirt or other debris that they can return to when food supply is low! Chickadees in particular have a large hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for spatial memory, and it actually grows in the winter time to help them remember where they’ve stored their food!
Fluffing feathers: in fluffing up their feathers, birds create pockets of air that trap their body heat and keep them better insulated. More winter-tolerant species secrete an oil on their feathers that help weather-proof them!
Roosting/cuddling: just like most animals, birds will cuddle to keep warm by exchanging body heat! They can also lower their otherwise fast metabolism to help conserve energy in times of low food acquisition.
You can help birds through the winter by providing high energy foods like suet, peanuts, and sunflower seeds! Birds also need fresh water all year around, so a warm, clean birdbath is also helpful!
As Spring gets swinging, we’re excited to watch the world come alive as the bugs, birds, and other animals become more active!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s Science Friday! See you again next week!
Information and pictures gathered from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
