Help Birds Survive Winter & Attract New Visitors by Offering High-fat Foods

This time of year, many of us make New Year's resolutions to lose a few pounds. Birds do just the opposite! They resolve to add some extra body weight to help them survive the rigors of the season.

During winter, birds must use more energy to endure colder days and longer hours of darkness at night. This energy comes from birds' body fat reserves, which must be replenished each day. Songbirds may use up to 75-80% of their fat reserves during a single winter’s night. The daily challenge is to find enough food to make it through each day and to replace their fat reserves for the coming night -- all in the course of limited daylight hours.

You can make a difference for the birds and attract a variety of new visitors by adding a reliable source of high-fat foods such as our exclusive Jim's Birdacious® Bark Butter® or premium suet products. These fatty foods are attractive to insect-eating birds that normally do not eat seed, plus they provide a boost of energy to help birds survive winter's challenges.

More Winter Tips to Help Your Birds:

● Replace old feeders that are damaged, cracked or dangerous. Add a dome cover to feeders to keep birds dry while they dine. Locate feeders out of the wind, on the east or southeast side of the house or ideally near a row of trees that can provide a perching spot for birds to survey the area and provide sufficient cover for safe refuge from predators and shelter from the wind and weather. 

● Birds need a place to escape the elements. Placing roosting and nesting boxes in your backyard to provide birds with a warm, dry place to call home. You can also create a brush pile of tree limbs and twigs.

● Birds need water in winter to help stay warm and to properly digest food. Provide a reliable source of water for bathing and drinking. Bathing and preening are especially important in cold weather to keep feathers in top condition to stay warm during cold night temperatures. Research has shown that chickadees with well-maintained feathers can sustain a 70-degree layer of insulation between the outside air and its skin. Switch out bird baths to winter-hardy ones. Add a heater to existing bird baths or use a heated bird bath. Never add any chemicals to unfreeze water because they could be harmful to birds.