MadSci Network: Zoology
Query:

Re: Why don't geese freeze in the winter while laying on your lawn?

Date: Mon Feb 28 14:13:58 2000
Posted By: Patricia O, Research Specialist
Area of science: Zoology
ID: 949632259.Zo
Message:

Dear Jessica;
  
  I am assuming you mean the Canadian geese.

  Well, they predominantly live in Canada and the northern US during the 
spring and summer months, and this is when and where they breed and raise 
their young.  (Their goslings are cute!) These geese then migrate in the 
winter to "warmer" climates - ie; your backyard, just as the summer birds 
that normally live in your backyard have migrated farther south for the 
winter.  Yes, it may be cold, but the geese a) are warm blooded and b) have 
nicely insulating feathers which keep them warm.

  Why other birds would die, though, is a bit baffling to me because I 
don't know what you're basing that thought off of.  

  As far as I know most animals die in the winter from starvation, not from 
freezing to death(unless the circumstances of the "freezing" are extreme, 
like falling in a river or a freak storm).  An animal's natural plumage/
fur/etc keep them warm enough to live through the usual temperature changes 
in the habitiats they live in.  If not, they have developed migratory 
habits which will bring them to other habitats which are suitably warmer 
for them.(Like the geese coming to your back-yard)  This migration also 
serves to bring the animals closer to the food sources(Have you noticed 
them eating the grass in the lawn?).  Animals who do not migrate either 
"rough it out" over the winter in their home climates, and thus face the 
possibility of starvation, or hibernate(sleep) through the winter in holes 
they have dug or discovered.  

(Many cold-blooded air-breathing animals also hibernate underground.)


Hope this helps.
  
   - Patti.
 






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