Description
This morning I photographed black-capped chickadees, the wind was cutting through the woodland and temperatures were well below freezing. Conditions like this aren’t just uncomfortable, they’re metabolically expensive for small birds.
Weighing barely 10–12 grams, chickadees lose heat rapidly in high wind. Wind strips away the insulating layer of warm air trapped in their feathers, forcing them to work harder to maintain core body temperature. Every movement, every flight between branches, costs energy they can’t afford to waste.
Winter survival for a bird this small is a constant balance between conserving energy and securing enough food to replace what’s lost. Today’s conditions were harsh. For them, it’s simply another day of adaptation.
Taken By
Michelle Axford
Taken On
March 1, 2026
Tagged
birds
chickadees
winter
animal
bird
finch
beak
wren
carolina_chickadee
vertebrate
black-capped_chickadee
wing
twig
tit
feather
close-up
