Birds can really struggle during cold seasons of the year. It can be hard for them to find water, food, and shelter when it gets very cold.

That is why it is such a good idea to give them a hand every winter and provide some basic necessities. This can help them to survive and even thrive until spring when they can take care of themselves more easily.

How to Help Out The Birds During the Colder Seasons

If you want to help take care of the birds in your area, there are a few things that you can do to really make a difference. Most of these things are so easy, you are probably already doing them!

If you want to help out wild birds during the colder seasons, these tips can help you to do just that.

Put Out Birdhouses

Even if the birds never actually nest in your birdhouses, they provide a great place for warmth and shelter during the colder seasons.

Birdhouses are great for stormy days or for when they become too cold to fly. This provides excellent shelter and a cozy place to rest until they feel up to going back to their nest.

It’s best to buy thick wood birdhouses as these are warmer and better isolated. Try to position them all over your yard in trees or hanging on steeks. It is also a good idea to have a few next to bird feeders o that the birds can take shelter if they become too cold while eating.

Use a Birdbath Heater

Buying a heatable birdbath is a great investment if you are dedicated to helping out your local birds. This is a special kind of birdbath that you can program to heat to a certain temperature. Despite popular belief, this is not actually used to warm up the birds, but rather to keep the water in the birdbath liquid.

During winter, water freezes everywhere, making it hard for birds to find anything to drink. They can eat snow, but it is not good for them and brings down their internal temperature.

A heated birdbath is heated just enough to keep the water from freezing, giving birds a place to drink. This is a great option for places that regularly have freezing temperature drops, making it hard for birds to stay hydrated.

Just make sure you buy a high-quality heated birdbath and program it to the right temperature. You do not want the water to actually be hot in any way – just warm enough to melt.

Add Extra Bird Feeders

You may keep bird feeders out all year long, no matter the season. However, it is especially important to provide plenty of bird feeders during the colder seasons.

Food is hard to find during winter, especially now that so many houses have taken over their natural sources of food. This can often cause birds to die of starvation or force them to scavenge things that they shouldn’t eat.

By adding extra bird feeders, you are helping to keep them full and plump all winter long. It gives them many options if they don’t like a particular feeder or an area. It is also good for territorial birds that might otherwise hog the feeders.

Try to add them to all kinds of locations around your house, spacing them several yards apart. This will give the birds plenty of options.

Scatter Bird Feed on the Ground 

Some birds may not like eating on a bird feeder. They can sometimes find the swaying a bit scary or the perch uncomfortable. 

Because of these reasons, it is also a good idea to scatter some seeds along the ground. You could do this on a batch of grass or a dirt area. If you do not have animals that go outside, you could also scatter seed along your porch or driveway.

This is something that you will want to do on a daily basis early in the morning. Avoid scattering too much because it will quickly get wet and begin to rot. You want to only scatter a thin layer that the birds can eat that day.

If it snows, try to do this in a sheltered area where there is no snow on the ground. This will help to protect their feet as they scavenge.

Give Them Fatty Foods

Another really important thing that you can do to help out wild birds during the colder seasons is to give them fatty foods. Fatty food will help to keep them warm, plump, and energized – perfect for when the temperatures are low, and they need to stay warm.

You can make your own fat bombs by melting coconut oil and mixing it with birdseed. Let it harden and hang it up outside or scatter it on the ground. You will only want to do this when it is cold outside, otherwise, the coconut oil will melt. The birds will peck at these fat bombs to dislodge the seeds, eating the fatty coconut oil as well.

Other fatty foods could include various nuts and seeds as well as dried grubs and other worms. These are all great food options that can help to keep the wild birds in your area well-fed and healthy. Birds can sometimes struggle during winter, so this can help them immensely.

Related Articles

• Why Feeding White Bread to Wild Birds is Killing Them
• How to Invite Birds Into Your Yard
• Why Birds Are So Good for the Garden
• 5 DIY Bird Feeders for the Home and Garden

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!