Birds can survive winter without human assistance, but when the snow piles high or the temperatures drop, human help can make a difference in the lives of wild birds. It may have you wondering–what do birds eat in the winter months?

Unlike humans, who rely on heated structures and heavy layers to stay warm, birds do fine when well nourished. 

“During the winter, birds stay busy looking for high-fat and high-protein foods during the day. This builds up fat reserves they burn during the night to stay warm,” American Bird Conservancy’s Joanna Eckles tells Southern Living. “Being successful at the ‘fat reserves’ game requires significant food consumption. For example, chickadees are known to eat more than 35 percent of their body weight every day.”

Eckles says that apart from the cold, in winter, birds face many of the same dangers they do during the rest of the year, including outdoor cats, collisions with glass, and habitat loss.

“It’s estimated that three billion North American birds have been lost since 1970 from the combined effect of these threats,” Eckles says.

Curious how to best support the birds in your backyard this winter? Eckles shares what birds eat in winter months and how to support the wild birds who frequent your yard.

What Should You Feed Birds In The Winter?

High-energy and protein-filled foods help birds survive cold nights. Eckles says to stock bird feeders with suet, peanuts, and black oil sunflower seeds specifically sold for wild birds.

A variety of bird species also feed on these winter food sources:

• Blue Jays, waxwings, Hermit Thrushes, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and American Robins feed on the berries of junipers, honeysuckle, holly, and other plants.
• Jays, titmice, finches, and other birds feast upon fallen acorns and pine nuts.
• Chickadees, nuthatches, and others are able to locate and eat dormant and larval insects by carefully inspecting crevices and cracks in tree bark.
• Sapsuckers tap into the sweet sap flowing under tree bark, leaving sap wells for other birds to feed from.

Should You Provide Different Food For Birds In Winter Months?

Eckles shares that there are several easy things you can do for birds in winter, including:

Scatter seeds in sheltered areas. 

“Not all birds come to feeders. For those that don’t, like Dark-eyed Juncos, consider sprinkling seed under bushes and in thickets,” she says

Plant native trees and shrubs that bear fruit or provide seeds in winter. 

“Native plants benefit many wildlife species and can also provide shelter for birds,” Eckles says.

Provide roosting boxes or leave dead trees standing. 

“If a dead tree poses no danger to humans, it can offer much-needed food in the form of insects, spiders, and other arthropods, and shelter to birds and other wildlife,” Eckles says.

Make water available. 

“Birds need to stay hydrated year-round,” Eckles says. “A heated birdbath can be useful, but make sure to add rocks or other objects during winter so that birds can drink without getting wet, which could be fatal.”

What Happens If You Stop Feeding Birds In Winter Months?

Eckles says that because birds are so well adapted to the cold, it’s possible they will look elsewhere.

“They may just end up searching for food in nearby locations (such as) other backyards, local parks, and wildlife refuges,” she says. 

Is It Hard For Birds To Find Food In Winter?

At first glance, a wintry landscape may appear devoid of nutrition, but birds are extremely resourceful when it comes to finding food, according to Eckles.

“Fluctuations in food availability may also sometimes send ‘irruptive’ waves of birds more southward in winter months,” Eckles says. “These sporadic visitors often include Snowy Owls, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Grosbeaks, Red and White-winged Crossbills, and Common Redpolls and create a lot of excitement for bird fans.”