How does the cold affect each species.

[wildheart]

In general people believe that all birds cope with the cold in the same manner. I discovered years ago while reading about the birds in SA, that it is far from the truth. Birds that only exist on the Drakensberg and other extreme cold areas have developed an unique coping mechanism. They endure low temperatures by placing themselves into a state of inactivity or a temporary dormant state to save energy. Being dormant slows down their respiratory and metabolic systems, making the birds seem to be asleep or dead. Their heart rate can drop as low as 36 beats per minute! When you look at them with a thermal infrared camera you can see that they are blue - the same color as the air around them with only tiny specs of red.

Birds from warmer regions did not develop this incredible survival tool and they shiver in response to the cold which increases their metabolic rate, they fluff their feathers and trap warm air in their down feathers, but, this is not always enough. It sometimes happen that a bird could not migrate before winter started and then dies of cold.

For this reason I think it is important to look at each species and the climate where they originally come from. If your bird comes from a warm climate then I think it is important to supply them with heat when it gets very cold in your home. Remember that it is unnatural for them to be in a cold area and they therefore do not have the survival skills to cope like the birds in your garden.

 

[Aussie Ben]

You bring up an important point. I moved Eddie outside under the back veranda (enclosed) before winter, because he loved it so much out there. Well the cold weather came and it was starting to get just too cold out there so I moved him back inside. I was talking to my vet about it and he was glad I moved him back inside. Ekkies are used to such stable tropical climates, indoors is much better for him where I am. So in the warmer weather I will just let him go out there for some exercise during the day