How can small birds fly in strong winds?

The stronger the winds, the more energy the bird expends in flying. When the high winds hit like they did yesterday in mid-Michigan, a bird can exhaust itself fighting the turbulence. But they can't afford to stop on every windy day or they would starve to death.

These are the days your feeders may be empty for long periods of time and then covered in birds when there is a little break in the weather.

Birds are going to stick close to home in bad weather but when they finally have to venture out for food, you will see a lot of gliding. They don’t want to fly too fast with the wind or waste energy going against the wind. They sort of get where they’re going by riding the winds and then making a couple flaps for course correction. It's not easy.

Thanks for the really good question!

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Category › Bird Basics