Do birds store food for the winter? (2024)

FAQs

Do birds store food for the winter? ›

Chickadees, nuthatches, some woodpeckers, jays, and crows store, or “cache,” food. Many other feeder birds—doves, sparrows, blackbirds

All cold-climate birds pack on body weight in the late summer and fall in anticipation of the long, cold winter, but feathers also play an important role. All birds stay warm by trapping pockets of air around their bodies. The secret to maintaining these layers of air lies in having clean, dry and flexible feathers.

Food types are limited, and birds need extra calories

In winter, insects and fruits are nowhere to be found. While some birds migrate, the birds that don't adjust their diet from fruit and insects to seeds.

The second problem to be surmounted in winter is finding food. For most birds, food supplies become greatly reduced in winter just when food is most required as fuel for keeping them warm.

Natural Foods for Wild Birds in Winter

Fallen leaves will also hide seeds, windfall fruit, and other foods for many ground-foraging birds such as quail and doves. Chickadees and nuthatches are adept at finding insects and seeds on plants throughout the winter, while sparrows forage for fallen seeds and grain.

Birds like the Black-capped Chickadee can remember hundreds of spots where they have stored food so they can find it quickly later. Another way birds adapt in winter is to change their diet. Most birds will opt for higher energy foods such as suet and black oil sunflower seed when temperatures begin to drop.

Birds have hollow bones that are very light and strong. Their feathers are light and the shape of their wings is perfect for catching the air. Their lungs are great at getting oxygen and very efficient, so they can fly for very long distances without getting tired.

Though most birds don't rest in the same place each and every night and have a choice of roosting sites they will all tend to be close to where the bird has spent the day feeding. Sleep can be a dangerous time for birds, due to danger from cold and predators.

Nocturnal birds, like owls and nighthawks, wake up as the sun sets and hunt at night. During the daytime, they find a safe place and close their eyes to block out the light. By contrast, most birds are diurnal, meaning they're awake during the day and asleep at night.

Finches and chickadees peck at seed heads of garden plants and weeds that stick out above the snow. And berry bushes like hawthorns will still have dried fruit attached, attracting waxwings and robins. Nuthatches and woodpeckers cling to trees as they search for dormant insects and larvae hiding within the bark.

How do birds not freeze in the winter? ›

Donning Layers. Bird feathers are remarkable for many reasons, but their ability to repel water keeps birds dry in addition to providing warmth. Underneath, a base layer of fine, downy feathers traps body heat while keeping frigid air out. Birds in colder climates may also put on a heavier coat of plumage.

If the humans suddenly stop feeding them, they could very easily starve to death before they even realize the food supply has disappeared and they must now revert back to their wild ways for survival. If the bird feeding occurs in an urban or suburban setting the danger might not be as great.

The newly cooled blood in the feet lowers heat loss from the feet, and the warmed blood flowing back into the body prevents the bird from becoming chilled. And because bird circulation is so fast, blood doesn't remain in the feet long enough to freeze.

They roost in cavities

Birds will never find a warmer spot to sleep than in their own down feathers, nestled in a nook small enough that they can warm it up with any extra heat that does escape.

They'll need to eat lots of fatty foods before nightfall and lots more when they wake in the morning. Birds such as tiny Chickadees and Titmice can actually eat 20 times more food in cold weather than they do in warm weather.

Jays are smart. Many jays, including the Blue Jay, store food for sustenance in harsher seasons. Over a few months, an individual bird may cache nuts, insects, even worms, in several thousand spots. And relocate nearly all of them as needed.

Caching refers to birds' ingenious strategy to store their food for later consumption. They do this in a multitude of ways and places—underneath leaves, in tree bark, and even in the ground. You may call it their version of stashing emergency snacks in the glove compartment or that secret candy drawer.