How to help your garden birds through the long winter nights
Winter can be perilous for our garden birds as small tits, for example, can lose up to 10% of their bodyweight overnight. They sleep from dusk until dawn, so at this time of year they have longer – and colder nights – and shorter days with less time for foraging.
In late November there are about 15 hours of darkness, so for their own safety, birds will hunker down and remain in their carefully selected roosting spot until daybreak.
Why do birds roost for so long?
1 - After dark, they are more susceptible to predator attack.
2 - Remaining inactive helps them to conserve energy.
Where do birds roost?
1 - Small tits tend to hide in dense foliage, holes in trees and small cavities in walls.
2 - Chosen sites are sheltered from the wind, out of sight of predators and small enough to conserve heat.
Do birds sleep together?
Birds typically roost alone, although some birds such as great tits might roost in the same cavity. On the other hand, long-tailed tits like to huddle together for warmth.
How deeply do birds sleep?
Garden birds might wake briefly to adjust their position, or to respond to disturbances. They enter a torpor-like state, but blue tits, for example, are light sleepers, entering a slightly deeper state of rest on very cold nights to help save energy.
How do birds survive overnight energy loss?
1 - Fluffing feathers to trap warm air.
2 - Reducing movement.
3 -Choosing tight, sheltered roosting spots.
4 - Burning fat reserves stored during the day.
If they go to bed underweight, they might not survive the night.
How do they cope?
Birds have to spend every waking moment, foraging for food to enable them to maintain their bodyweight.
How can you help?
1 - Our garden birds memorise feeding circuits where they know there are reliable food sources. Once you start feeding the birds, make sure you maintain the supply to avoid our feathered friends wasting their energy on a fruitless visit.
2 - Put out high-energy food daily. Best cold-beating boosters are:
Fat balls
Sunflower hearts
Peanuts
Suet blocks
Mealworms
3 - Provide clean nest boxes for roosting. Tits will happily use them as winter sleeping chambers.
4 - Make a safe drinking source available to avoid dehydration.
5 - Feed early morning and late afternoon as these are the times that small birds need fuel most.