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For human beings good food and warm clothing in a heated environment may be the secret to keep warm in the cold season. This may even stand true for birds raised in captive, with dried mealworms, niger seeds and other wild bird food items and living caged in a warm environment. But how do the birds in the wild survive the cold on top of which they need to search for their own food.

Some see birds visiting the bird feeders in the gardens even on the coldest days. How they keep warm is a wonder which many have tried to understand over the years. Few adaptations the birds make have been well studies to understand how it helps them to keep warm.

One such study has understood that birds have a high metabolism than other warm blooded animals, which leads them to have a higher average body temperature. This makes it even a greater challenge to maintain the same during sudden climate changes, especially when the temperature drops very low.

Just like the numerous ways we adjust to keep ourselves warm, there are many natural adaptations the birds make to keep themselves warm. One such is their feathers. This is a natures warm coat, which in many birds also grows extra feathers during late fall to prepare for the cold season. A special oil coats the feathers which has waterproofing ability while providing insulation to the birds.

Birds have a fat reserve which helps to stimulate extra energy to generate heat for the body. The birds are able to eat more during the fall when they have food to spare helping them to build the extra layer of fat which is very helpful during the winter.

Even the feet of the birds have a special cover of scales which holds in the heat, minimizing the loss of heat.
Besides these natural body changes the birds also change their behavioural patterns to help keep them warm. For example they fluff out the feathers which help to create a additional insulation in cold temperatures. Like humans cuddle up in the cold, the birds also can be seen crouched in a way to cover the legs from the cold or standing on one foot with the other tucked in for warmth.

Studies are still under way to understand the behaviours of the birds’ better; more observations have been concluded as steps taken by wild birds small and large to survive the cold seasons out of which even human beings can learn a thing or two.