Are Birds Warm Blooded? [How Do They Control Their Temperature!]

You know that many birds migrate to warmer climates when the outside temperatures start to drop. This leads us to the question whether birds are warm blooded.

Birds are definitely warm blooded. Most birds have a normal body temperature of around 106 to 109 degrees Fahrenheit. This body temperature is maintained by a portion of the brain commonly known as the hypothalamus. This allows birds to control their body temperature whether its hot or cold outside.

So, how do birds control their body temperature in both hot and cold conditions?

How Birds Maintain Their Temperature In Hot Conditions

Unlike humans, birds aren’t able to sweat. In extremely hot weather, some bird species will pant, just like the family dog. You can observe this by looking at your backyard birds on a hot day. You’ll notice that they’ll have their beak open during this time.

In fact, birds expel excess body heat by breathing it out. They have special air sacs that extend from the lungs. This allows birds to increase the amount of air they breathe both in and out.

You’ll also find that birds love to bathe in a bird bath during the hot water. This is similar to how we humans cool down by taking a swim in the pool or at the beach. It’s referred to as evaporative cooling. As the water evaporates from the skin, it helps to cool down our internal temperature.

How Birds Maintain Their Temperature In Cold Conditions

Firstly, many bird species will migrate before winter sets in to warmer areas. This is not only to protect themselves from the cold but also because suitable food sources are much less prevalent when the temperature drops.

You see, in order to keep warm, birds have to use up energy that they derive from the food that they consume. Consider the tiny hummingbird, for example. A hummingbird has to eat every ten to fifteen minutes just to consume enough energy to keep its bodily functions working.

That’s why hummingbirds go into a state of torpor or hibernation every night when they sleep. If they did not do this, they would not have enough energy stored in their bodies to survive the night.

What About Non-Migratory Birds?

You will find quite a few species of birds that do not migrate in the winter. So, how do they stay warm?

Common birds like sparrows, often huddle together in groups. This allows the birds to share the warmth from each other. They also tend to roost in dense foliage as this gives them shelter from the harsh weather conditions.

Another thing that birds do during winter is to fluff up their feathers. This creates a warm pocket of air around their skin and helps to maintain their body temperature.

You’ll also notice that while they’re sleeping, birds will often tuck their heads and feet into their feathers. This reduces the amount of surface area that heat can escape from and helps to keep their little bodies warm.

Some species of birds will even shiver to keep warm. Small birds like chickadees are commonly known for this. But the way that they shiver is different to the way that we humans do. Birds will activate opposing muscle groups. This causes the muscles to contract and helps the birds to maintain body heat.

Other bird species, apart from hummingbirds, also regulate their night time temperatures by reducing their body temperatures by up to 22 degrees Fahrenheit. This is referred to as regulated hypothermia.

Extra Insulation From The Cold

Because heat escapes through the skin, some birds will put on an extra layer of fat before the cold weather sets in. This extra fat layer is a type of insulation that helps to keep the heat inside their bodies.

Additionally, the extra fat layer is also an energy source that the birds can benefit from. This is why its important to keep your feeders well stocked before the cold weather arrives. And, if you have birds visiting your yard during winter, make sure that you provide them with a nice fatty food source to help them survive the cold weather.

Water birds like geese add insulation in a different way. Before the cold weather arrives, these birds will grow an extra set of downy feathers. Their outer feathers are also water-resistant. This helps to keep the inner layer of downy feathers dry and warm.

How Do Birds Stop Their Feet From Freezing In Winter?

Undoubtedly, you’ve seen many birds standing or wading in icy cold water and even across snow and ice. So, how do they stop their feet from freezing?

These birds have a special vascular system that allows their feet to stay at a constant temperature even when constantly exposed to freezing cold water, ice and snow. There are numerous veins and arteries in their legs and feet that are close together.

This means that when warm blood is pumped from the heart towards the feet, the blood in these veins passes closely by the blood in the veins that are transporting blood back to the heart. This, in turn, allows for a heat exchange between the various veins.

Ultimately, this warms the blood that is traveling back to the heart after it’s been cooled down while circulation around the bird’s extremities.

What Can You Do To Help Your Backyard Visitors Survive The Winter

The best thing you can do for your feathered winter residents is to provide food and shelter for them.

• Bird houses or nesting boxes are ideal for providing shelter for the birds. Especially, during cold winter nights.
• A variety of different bird feeders will also be appreciated. Consider a tube feeder that you fill with mixed seeds for birds like finches and chickadees. A good suet feeder will be appreciated by any woodpeckers in your area. Plus, a hopper feeder filled with sunflower or safflower seeds will keep visiting cardinals and blackbirds content.

Interesting Fact: Did You Know That Birds Descended From Warm-Blooded Dinosaurs?

Contrary to common belief, not all dinosaurs were reptilian and cold-blooded according to research scientists and paleontologists. There were a group of dinosaurs called theropods (meat eaters). This group included the well-known Tyrannosaurus Rex. It’s believed that these dinosaurs were, in fact, warm blooded.

In fact, if you were able to look closely at the hind leg of a T. Rex, you’d notice that it closely resembled a large chicken leg. The feet of the T. Rex have three large toes pointing forward and one additional one pointing backwards.

The earliest dinosaur ancestors of bird were believed to be the Archaeopteryx species. These dinosaurs had teeth and a long tail but they also had forelimbs that looked like wings and even feathers. These dinosaurs are also believed to have been warm-blooded.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does being warm-blooded mean?

An animal that is warm-blooded (endothermic) is able to regulate its own internal body temperature. It does this through burning the energy that it receives by consuming food. Warm-blooded animals and birds strive to maintain a constant body temperature that is unrelated to their environment.

On the other hand, cold-blooded animals (ectotherms) need to use their environment to regulate their body temperature. This means that their internal temperature is always the same as their current environment.

Do birds feel the cold?

Birds that don’t migrate for the winter, do definitely feel the cold. That’s why they use a variety of different methods like fluffing up their feathers, tucking their heads in and huddling together in groups to try and stay warm.

Can a bird die of cold?

It is possible for a bird to die from the cold but not all that common. It only usually happens if the bird is not healthy and cannot use enough energy to maintain its body temperature.

Final Thoughts

You now know that birds are, indeed, warm-blooded animals. They have the ability to self-regulate a constant body temperature of between 106 to 109 degrees Fahrenheit. For this reason, birds have developed many different mechanisms to allow them cool down in the heat and stay warm on cold winter days and nights.

They use the energy that they receive from the foods that they eat to help regulate their body temperature. Some smaller bird species even go into a type of hibernation during the night by lowering their body temperature. This means that they’re able to survive without having to constantly replenish their energy reserves while they’re sleeping.

If you want to help your backyards birds survive the extremes of temperature, there are a few things that you can do. Make sure that you have a bird bath or bowls filled with clean water that they can bathe in.

In the winter time, leave your birdhouses and nesting boxes out to provide some shelter. Also, make sure that your bird feeders are well stocked so that there’s plenty of food available for the birds to be able to replenish the energy that they need to stay warm.