When I look out at the birds on the feeder, I see those tiny little legs and funny little feet and want to know how their feet don't get cold. Various sources tell me that they do get cold feet.
"In the winter, as feathered friends flock to your feeders, it’s hard not to wonder about what happens to their little, unprotected feet, especially when they cling to snowy branches and metal feeder perches. Do songbirds get cold feet in the winter, and if so, are their toes in danger of frostbite? Or worse?
The short answer is yes. However, unlike humans and other animals, cold feet don't pose a problem for birds. In fact, birds' feet and legs are designed to offer them some protection when the temperature drops.
There are two main reasons that birds aren't affected by cold feet:
1. Blood circulates through the legs and feet of birds very quickly, and blood vessels in this part of the body are positioned closely together. Because of this, blood doesn't have a chance to cool enough in their legs to cause discomfort or distress. Due to this quick circulation, their blood is quickly warmed in their core before being sent back to the feet.
2. Bird legs and feet have very few pain receptors and little fluid. The surface is dry and scaly, with no moisture, which means they don’t have to worry about their feet freezing and getting stuck to metal perches, even on a cold and snowy day."
I do know that birds don't pee - instead they poop that white pasty messy stuff - it is uric acid. And as we now from having received a bird gift, it doesn't dissolve in water easily to wash off. It sticks just like white plaster.
In the meantime, these fascinating facts about Hummingbirds attracted my attention:
The average man would need to eat around 285 pounds of meat per day if they had the metabolism of a hummingbird.
hummingbirds weigh less than a nickel.
Hummingbirds are so small that they have fewer than 1,000 features - compare that to the Whistling Sea with 25,000 feathers.
They are the only bird that can fly backwards but they can't walk or hop.
A flock of hummingbirds is known as a bouquet, a glittering, a hover, a shimmer or a tune.
A hummingbird and a scientist walk into a bar... Nah, just kidding, hummingbirds can't walk.
Two colourful abstracts today to distract from our white winter wonderland.
