Alabama is notable for being the home of a wide species of wild birds in winter.
Setting up a bird feeder and feeding winter birds in Alabama can be hard if you have no idea of feeding winter birds.
What birds come to feeders in Alabama in winter? When to start feeding birds for winter?
This article explains how to feed winter birds in Alabama.
Many lovers of nature or even bird lovers in Alabama love feeding birds during winter. In Alabama, the weather is always very cool during winter. Sometimes, the temperature goes extreme at night.
Most winter birds have to find warm shelters at night to stop them from freezing. This is apart from a natural mechanism that their body system has developed to stop them from freezing in the harsh winter weather.
It is most passionate to bird lovers to show love to these birds during winter in Alabama, which is a kind of difficult period for them.
Winter birds in Alabama are always in Alabama during winter because their migration system is between the south and the north.
These birds spend their winter in the South and go back to the north during spring. Having a feeder with birds in them during winter, gives you a nice evening watching the Alabama winter birds feed.
What happens if you don`t feed wild birds during winter? Do birds need feeding in winter? The truth is that winter birds in Alabama will survive if you don`t feed them. Why? The weather is a bit mild during the day, and at night the birds have warm shelters.
Their body system is also designed to keep them very warm during extreme temperature conditions. The winter birds in Alabama do not really need feeding, but they appreciate any foods you leave for them as it makes things easier.
According to Alabama Ornithological Society, there are 449 species of birds found in Alabama that are mentioned in the official state list.
A lot of birds will usually show up in your backyard in Alabama, and this is apart from the winter birds. I have listed some birds you probably will see more in your backyards during winter in Alabama. Learning about these Alabama winter birds, their names and features helps you feed them better, and even enjoy looking at them.
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Eastern Towhees are found all year round in Alabama, especially in residences that are close to thickets or forests. They always stay in the southeast during winter, and all their breeding is in the east.
They stay mostly in bushy tangles and under small bushes. The bird is multi-colored, with white colored belly, deep brown backs, and a light brown body. The tail is deep brown with white specks.
An eastern towhee eats sunflower seeds on a feeder, or platform. They also eat millet.
northern Cardinal
This bird is a well known specie because of its spectacular color. With a bright orange color, this bird is many people`s favorite.
The bird has an average weight of 1.6oz.
In North America, Northern Cardinals are one of the best known birds. Male Cardinals have very bright red feathers on their body, while the females have paler color that is more of brown and some red. The reddish orange beaks are the means of identification of Northern cardinals in Alabama.
They are present all year long in Alabama and they do not migrate. Most people take this bird as a priority when feeding winter birds in Alabama.
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These birds are small in size and have an average weight of 0.75oz. Very interesting birds, their crest helps differentiate their gender.
Titmice have silver-gray on top and light on bottom, with black patch above their beaks.
Black Sunflower seed and seed blends are the best food to offer these beautiful creatures.
These are few of the birds that may show up at your backyard in Alabama.
Attracting winter birds to your feeder in Alabama is not too easy. The first thing to do is to set your feeders at different heights. Also get a variety of bird feed. Keep your feeders clean and make sure there is a birdbath or drinking water close to them.
Here is a list of things that are the best to feed birds in the winter:
Black Oil Sunflower seed (Almost every bird feeds on this)
Peanuts
Mixed Seed
Safflower
Meal worms
Thistle Seed
Suet is good food for birds that feed on insects. It is a hard type of beef fat you can get from the local butcher. Dispensing Suet in cages and baskets will attract insect-eating birds.
Types of fruit to feed bird during winter are Apples, crab-apples, pears, and oranges.
Jays, waxwings, woodpeckers, Ruffed Grouse and pheasants are birds that eat all these fruits in the winter. Sunflower Small black oil seeds is the versatile thing.
Jays, waxwings, woodpeckers, Ruffed Grouse and pheasants are some of the birds that eat fruit in the winter.
You can refill your feeders as much as four times a day or more, especially during the nesting season. You can refill your feeder once a week or once a month, but this would determine how much birds visit your feeders.
When the spring migration is over and most winter birds head to the north, it is ideal to stop feeding the birds. It will be more generous to wait till June before you stop feeding them.
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Feeding winter birds in Alabama is a spectacular and popular occurrence. Most residents never want to miss it. This article explains the best way to feed your winter birds, when and how. It’s a good read for bird lovers who want to know about birds that appear in their backyards in Alabama.