Have you heard the birds or driven down to Stella to see the bald eagles? I’ve done quite a bit of birdwatching the past few weeks. It wasn’t until I saw a post by someone else that I realized I’d never asked an important question: how do birds avoid frost bite?
As with most things in nature, it comes down to anatomy.
According to The Cornell Lab, it comes down to how their feet are built.
Birds maintain a core body temperature above 100*F. But most birds don’t get frostbite because there’s not a lot of fluid in the cells in their feet. They’re mostly tendons and bones with very little muscle or nerve tissue.
The way their blood vessels are wired also allows blood going into their feet to warm up the blood leaving their feet.
You’ll also see birds standing on one foot more during the winter. Their balance lets them pull a foot up into their feathers to warm it without falling off a branch!
Today, we’re uncovering the lie that is the sound a bald eagle makes.
You may associate the bald eagle with a loud screech, as often seen in the movies.
Did you know that noise is not an eagle? That noise is actually the call of a red-tailed hawk!
Eagles typically make a high-pitched whistling noise. The hawk makes that hoarse kee-eeee-arr!
You can find what sounds and songs different birds make at www.allaboutbirds.org or download the Merlin Bird App on your smart phone, sponsored by Cornell Lab so you will always have it with you.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GmeiI3nncxU
Submitted by Brit Stack, 2024 Graduate