Where do Birds Sleep at Night?
GIVE BIRDS SHELTER
WHERE DO BIRD SLEEP? Do you ever wonder where birds go at night? Do they sleep like we do? Are they warm enough on cold nights? Does a bright moon keep them awake? Many of us, young and old, ask these same questions.
Most songbirds find a secluded branch or a tree cavity, fluff out their down feathers beneath their outer feathers, turn their head to face backward and tuck their back feathers into their back feathers,
and close their eyes. Waterbirds sometimes sleep in the water. Some sleep on tree branches or in cavities, too.
Shelter can take many forms, from trees and bushes to fancifully painted bird houses. We all should put up bird houses. They are not expensive and the local birds offer so much enjoyment that it is a crime that we do not offer them a nesting spot. So many people remove dead trees and these birds already have a hard time with shelter. So if you want to help, reach out to Peter Atkins and Associates and together we will advice you where to go for good bird houses or when you are putting your christmas tree to the curb, remember that tree might keep a family of birds shelter in this bitter winter cold.
Dense thicketed areas provide places where birds can nest, perch, and escape from predators. So, if you have outdoor space, plant shrubs, a hedge, or vines to trail up fence lines to create an area of thick, wild growth that imitates the natural environment.
The only time of the year when birds sleep in nests is when they are incubating eggs or keeping their young warm. During the rest of the year, birds select a roosting spot. Often, they use the same roost night after night.
Songbirds find a protected place to perch, sheltered from rain and safe from nighttime predators. Small forest birds including this Red-breasted Nuthatch, may spend the night huddling together in tree cavities. Ducks float in protected bays. Woodpeckers cling to vertical tree trunks. Crows roost communally.
On these cold nights, birds fluff up their feathers for insulation and often hunker down over their bare legs and feet to keep them warm. Most birds can’t tuck their heads under their wings to sleep as we’ve been led to believe. But they do turn their heads around and poke their beaks under shoulder-feathers to keep their beaks warm.
This February 18, it's a cold night at 15 degrees at night and we continue to feed our song birds but when the sun goes down the feeders are quite and I ask myself where is home for all of these beautiful creatures.