Why Do Birds Puff Up Their Feathers? How Can Birds Survive in Winters?

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Birds Puff Up Their Feathers

Birds are cute as well as intelligent creatures which amaze us with their different abilities. As, every animal in the ecosystem has remarkable abilities to survive. Similarly, birds also have some fantastic tricks to communicate their messages as well as to save themselves in the extremity of weather. Therefore, one of such ability is bird puffing up, in which birds puff up their feathers. If you ever see birds puffing up their feathers, what do you think is why they do so? So if you are curious about why do birds puff up their feathers? Then navigate this article for you as in this article, I will explore this phenomenon.

However, bird puffs up their feathers for various purposes. As they do this for communication purposes, to keep themselves warm in cold weather.

Moreover, they do so to show their selves angry and prominent in front of their opponent. So birds can puff their feathers for several purposes. As sometimes, it is necessary for their survival.

Why Do Birds Puff Up Their Feathers?

Birds can puff up their feathers due to several reasons. So let’s have a detailed look at it.

To Show Aggression:

However, birds are cute and calm creatures, and usually, they are not into fighting with each other. Rather than that, they live quietly and happily. But if a conflict arises and both opponents are ready to fight.

Then the first step is to puff up their feathers to show aggression to their opponent. And birds do this so that the opponent may withdraw itself before fighting. And they also do this to show their bodies big so that the opponent may run out before fighting.

If They Want a Nap:

Yes, it seems a little bit odd, but it is true that when birds get tired and want a nap, then they puff up their feathers. Especially if they do so in summer’s afternoon, then it means that your bird is sleepy and wants a nap.

To Keep Themselves Warm in Winter:

However, humans wear sweaters, socks, gloves, and many other things in winter to keep themselves warm. Similarly, birds keep themselves warm by puffing up their feathers. Because puffing up their feathers allows them to enclose air in feathers.

And later this air gets warm and keep bird’s body warm in winters. And this is how they survive in cold weather.

Read also: Can Birds Eat Chia Seeds ?

However, there are also many other methods that birds used to keep themselves warm in cold weather. And we will discuss all these methods later in the article.

How Birds Keep Themselves Warm in Winter?

As birds don’t have much fat on their bodies and don’t get it, it makes their flight difficult. Moreover, birds flight consumes more energy which cost them extra body fat. So now let’s see that how birds keep themselves warm in winters.

Birds Are Warm-Blooded:

Yes, according to science, birds develop their warm-blooded nature million years ago. And this means that their bodies produce heat during cold weather. Therefore, their body helps them to keep warm via produce heat.

Puffing Up Their Feathers:

Bird puffing up their feathers to trap air in them. And later, the trapped air warms up and keeps their bodies warm for a long time. So it is also a way with which birds keep their selves warm in winters.

Finding A Place in Trees:

However, in severely cold weather, birds try to find a hole in trees to keep themselves warm. Not only this, but they can use cavities in trees, loose barks, and trees trunks to sleep in the nights of winter.

Use Of Torpor:

Torpor is a method just like hibernation, as many animals use this to survive in winter. Similarly, some birds use torpor to survive in the winters.

And in this method, birds slow down their metabolism as well as lower their body’s activity. So that they can survive throughout winters.

So these are few methods that birds used to survive in the winter season. Moreover, birds have an incredible ability to find places where they can live during winters. But if the weather becomes severe, birds also start migrating from that place to a warm place.

Can A Frozen Bird Come Back to Life?

Yes- a frozen bird can come back to life. But there are some conditions as it is not possible all the time. However, if you found a frozen bird, check whether the bird is dead or not? And how can we check that? Let me explain it to you.

As, a frozen bird doesn’t do a single movement even they don’t breathe. And their heartbeat is also unable to feel.

Read also: How To Pluck Feathers from A Dead Bird?

But there is one thing that decides that either the bird is dead or not, which is their body stiffness. Yes, a dead bird’s body becomes stiff while alive, a frozen bird’s body is not rigid.

Furthermore, you can bring back the frozen bird after providing a sufficient amount of heat. As in many cases, people get back birds to life with the blower. But it takes almost half an hour at lower settings.

Why Do Birds Ruffle Their Feathers?

However, ruffling feathers is also a sign of different things in birds, like birds puffing up feathers. Ruffling feathers is also an act of preening, as birds do this to clean their selves.

Moreover, they do this to keep their body temperature at the appropriate level. As their feathers can trap air. Furthermore, ruffling feathers is also an act of releasing anxiety in birds.

Conclusion:

As all living things have their own ways to cope with extreme weather conditions. Similarly, puffing up their feathers is also a trick which birds used to stay warm in winters.

Not only this, but birds puff up their feathers to show anger and try to look bigger during the fight. Furthermore, birds puff up their feathers when they feel sleepy in the summers.

However, puffing up their feathers for birds is the same as we humans wear sweaters, etc. Because puffing up feathers tarp air in them, and later this air warm-up and keep birds warm in the winter season.