People look forward to another winter and another opportunity to fill their feeders and watch birds, especially when chickadees flitter about the feeders and cardinals sit pretty on the snow. Many wonder, \"How do birds survive winter without feeders?\" This question is not as simple as it may seem and comes with some restructuring of what we think about bird feeding in the backyard.
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The Hard Truth: Most birds Did (and do) not need help
Birds have migrated through winters for thousands of years without feeders, cages, or heated birdbaths. Even before humans started putting out seeds, birds developed incredible ways to survive the cold without food.
An example would be migration. When a resource like food drops, billions of birds leave and fly thousands of miles to find food. However, the species that remain like your chickadees, woodpeckers, and nuthatches, have their own amazing adaptations.
When the trees start losing their leaves, a lot of animals that will be spending the winter in the area begin hiding food to eat later. These animals hide food in the cracks and crevices of tree bark and other spots. Chickadees are especially good at hiding food. They actually remember thousands of different caching sites, and they create a bunch of extra neurons in the fall to help them with remembering these sites. They also help themselves remember the locations by having a good memory. Woodpeckers are also good at remembering food hiding spots as they go back to get the bugs that have been hidden under tree bark. Sparrows and finches also go out searching for sources to get seeds from native grasses and wildflowers.
So do their bodies. To save energy, birds are able to lower their body temperature at night and go into a stage called controlled hypothermia. Birds fluff Their feathers to form insulating air pockets, and some species, like goldfinches, grow 50% more winter feathers. Other birds roost together in cavities to share their body heat.
Prior to the installation of the first bird feeder, these adaptations were perfectly fine. Most of the birds in your area during winter are naturally equipped to get through the winter without the help of humans.
What would be the best moment to provide help?
The phrase 'birds survived before feeders' is not saying feeders don't help in any circumstances. In certain scenarios, our supplemental feeding serves to benefit wild birds.
Loss of habitat has the greatest effect. As native meadows turn into groomed lawns and wild edges get developed, food sources disappear. Urbanized areas have minimal dependable food sources and feeders are often the only ones. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states that in winter, feeders in fragmented habitat increase the survival rate of birds.
Birds cannot access most natural food sources since they're covered in ice during ice storms. Frozen berries and bark are examples of what birds lose access to. Bird feeders help in those circumstances. Weather conditions have a direct effect on how necessary birds feeders are. Bird feeders become more necessary in severe cold than mild weather.
There are geographic factors to consider. In the northern latitudes, winters are long and harsh. The energy spent during extreme winter cold to sustain themselves is significant. Days of winter foraging are limited, and so the energy spent foraging is limited. Feeders are thought to help individual birds save calories while foraging for naturally occurring food and dispersed.
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During the winter, feeding stations can attract declining or rare species. Parking stations can provide winter food resources of real value for the purple finch and evening grosbeak, as well as other species that are stressed and under pressure during that time.
The true advantages of winter feeding (Clue: It’s not what you think).
Experts recommend feeding birds in winter for reasons other than focusing on survival and feeding birds are not completely dependent on bird feeders.
The greatest winners are really us! The winter feeders provide a unique opportunity to witness birds and their behaviors up close. This includes witnessing dominance hierarchies and feeding preferences, courtship displays, interspecies interactions, and other types of interactions that you would never see. Especially in the long cold months, connecting with nature helps us mentally, and raises environmental awareness.
Birds that visit feeders are practicing some energy conservation. For example, a chickadee that quickly finds food at your feeder instead of spending time and energy to find food saves calories that can be used to help keep warm. Generally, a bird's energy conservation is not that significant, but during cold winter months even minor energy conservation can be helpful. Most birds probably aren't in an energy deficit, but every little bit of energy savings is helpful.
Bird feeders promote habitat stewardship. Curious about birds? It starts with a feeder. A person observes the birds that come to their backyard feeder. The person then learns the species of birds that visit through research. A bird feeder can inspire someone to make landscaping choices that support the ecosystem. The impact of conservation from a single feeder can be great.
Birds feeding brings the support of people towards funding and policy support for conservation. This happens because people feel a distant connection to the animals and then tend to vote and financially support the cause. Your winter bird feeder can help save 1000s of acres of land and The Birds that live there.
How To Responsibly Provide Food (If You Choose To)
When it comes to giving food during winter, it is better to be done with care and done properly and not just in large amounts.
Birds will become accustomed to using your feeder. If you stop filling your feeder, you will be disrupting their energy budgets during a time when food is hard to come by. If you start feeding them, you will need to do so throughout the entire winter.
Keeping your bird feeders and feeding stations clean will keep the birds that eat there healthy, and not cause the spread of diseases that can infect birds. Dirty feeders can cause the spread of salmonella and conjunctivitis. Rake droppings and wash feeders with a 10% bleach solution every 2 weeks. If you see sick birds, do not feed birds for at least 2 weeks.
All feeders should be integrated with their natural surroundings! Native winterberry holly, serviceberry, and viburnum shrubs provide winter berries. For example, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and other plants should never be cut back in the fall. Brush piles provide cover, and shelters. Natural habitats always beat feeders because they provide food, shelter, and nesting sites.
Ensure that the food provided is appropriate for the varied visitors you intend to attract. Woodpeckers and nuthatches are attracted to suet. The black oil sunflower seeds will attract the most diverse visitors. Nyjer seeds are for the finches. Do not buy cheap mixes that are full of filler grains. The birds will waste the food and it will create a rodent problem.
Just like food, clean water is important! Drinking and bathing birds continue to visit even in winter months. Heated bird baths will keep ice off and will draw in birds that may have never visited your feeders.
Main Idea: Its More Than Just Surviving
Do they really need us in winter? The answer is mostly no. Most adaptive species are found in most places and survive without assistance.
That said, it is not the case that feeding is completely pointless. Thoughtful winter feeding creates important connections between humans and the natural world. It helps individual birds in difficult situations, enhances biodiversity in compromised ecosystems, and fosters the kind of environmental stewardship that is transformational to conservation.
Use feeders for the purpose of supplementing the food sources you have provided! Habitat improvements should always come first. Begin with native species, clean water, and natural shelter. Feeders should be used to supplement your efforts and only used if they will be monitored responsibly and coupled with well thought out landscape additions.
Feeding birds in winter is a winning situation for all! The birds benefit from a back-up food source, you get to watch a close-up winter show, and the bond between people and wildlife grows with every sunflower seed!
Happy birding!
