As the snow blankets sidewalks, forests, and meadows, the world gets a little quieter, a little colder. Many animals, like bears, have descended into their dens for hibernation, while buzzing insects have gone dormant for the season. Humans, too, feel the slowing and the softening. We stoke fires, cook warming foods, and observe the glisten of the white wonderland outside our windows.
While most creatures large and small are tucked away into the cradle of mother nature, there are some whose fervent foraging continues to bring their fast-beating hearts to our environment and yards. We’re talking about birds!
It’s a magical site to see a snowy owl, barely visible against glittering branches, or an eagle flying across a vast sky, backed by the silhouette of craggy mountains. Round chickadees and blue jays, too, bring joy to days ripe with more darkness. 
Over thousands of years, these birds have evolved adaptations to navigate the rhythms of nature. Some do, in fact, fly south. Flocks of cranes, and other species, ride the wind to overwinter in warmer climates. But, today, we want to talk about the bird species that remain in snow hewn places. Birds that, like us, are going about their days in Denver, finding the best ways to care for themselves amid seasonal challenges.
When navigating the winter, birds face their fair share of adversity. Like us, they must contend with frigid air and be able to regulate their body temperature. But while the healthy temperature for a human is 96.8 degrees, a thermometer will tell you that a bird’s should be closer to 105. To add to this already life threatening obstacle, food- an essential ingredient in regulating body temperature- is much more difficult to find for our avian friends. So, how exactly do these feathered beings survive the harsh conditions of winter?
Insulation
There are several ways birds grapple with earth’s cycles. One of which is the concept of insulation. While most cold-weather birds will eat more in the fall in order to pack on weight, they also utilize their feathers to increase warmth. Birds naturally have weather resistant feathers. But, did you know that they have a base layer of downy ones that actually retain their body heat? In the winter, they will fluff these feathers, which traps hundreds of air pockets and maximizes their already natural insulation.
Taking Cover
What do you do when the weather is storming, howling, and unpredictable? Most times, we will seek shelter, protecting ourselves by staying home or indoors. Birds, too, will find refuge and, often, together. During particularly cold and tempestuous weather movements, birds will retreat to dense thickets, tree cavities, or between the other bodies of birds huddled together for warmth.
Tucked Away
Have you ever forgotten your gloves at home on a particularly biting day? Your belly is warm but your fingers feel as if they might as well just fall right off. Now imagine, instead, that you seem to have forgotten your pants, socks, AND shoes!
While birds may have feathers to stay toasty, you may notice that their legs and feet are bare. To combat this, many birds will tuck them away. Like flamingos and geese, some pull one leg into their body at a time, while some, like finches, will crouch down, resting their warm core on top of their featherless legs.
Cold Feet
Some birds, like chickadees, maintain a separate temperature for their body and feet. While they regulate their body at the aforementioned 105 degrees Fahrenheit, their lower extremities can be as low as 30. Reducing heat dispersal, reduces energy spent, which requires less energy to be sourced. In a time where food is more sparse, this enables winter birds to not overly expend energy.
Cache-ing In
As you meander down a trail, you walk by a tree and notice hundreds of holes dotted up and down its trunk. It’s the granary of a woodpecker! Woodpeckers, and other birds, will collect seeds and nuts, placing them in these holey storage containers for days when food is hard to find. In fact, Chickadees can store up to 80,000 seeds AND remember where they all are. In order to support winter birds, having a birdfeeder with high fat seeds can provide extra energy for birds when food is scarce.
Winter is beautiful, albeit challenging. As we walk along rivers, observing ducks ride the crisp ripples, or watch a crow’s morning commute from our bedroom window, here’s hoping that we can bring more honor and respect to the animals that walk and fly alongside us. Life is magnificent, wondrous, and, at times, taxing and testing. Every species has their unique experience and umwelt, a perceptual bubble based on senses, that requires we face life differently. Differently but with the same profundity.