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Figarosmom

(10,993 posts)
Sat Feb 21, 2026, 05:45 PM 14 hrs ago

Feeding birds in cold weather

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In a frozen Michigan winter, a homeowner scattered bread crumbs daily, believing she was saving the local chickadees from starvation. However, by week three, the birds grew sluggish and fluffed their feathers unnaturally, showing signs of severe decline despite eating everything provided. A neighbor explained the heartbreaking truth: bread fills their tiny stomachs but offers zero fat or protein, causing them to stop hunting the high-calorie seeds they need to survive sub-zero nights. Horrified, the owner switched to high-fat suet and sunflower seeds, watching as the population blossomed from five struggling birds to forty healthy regulars within a year. This vital lesson proves that kindness without knowledge can be unintentionally cruel. To truly help the wild, we must learn what they actually need rather than what we find convenient to give. True protection begins with understanding the biology of those we wish to save.
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Feeding birds in cold weather (Original Post) Figarosmom 14 hrs ago OP
Good advice but hard to read biophile 14 hrs ago #1
I.put the transcript on Figarosmom 14 hrs ago #2
Thank you so much! I am sometimes tech challenged 😂 biophile 13 hrs ago #4
Me too. No problem 👍 Figarosmom 13 hrs ago #5
as for feeding that wonderful bread to humans... hmm msongs 13 hrs ago #3

Figarosmom

(10,993 posts)
2. I.put the transcript on
Sat Feb 21, 2026, 06:16 PM
14 hrs ago

But if you tap the two arrows to expand you can get it larger or tap the youtube.com icon in the corner it'll go to the full screen video.


Here's the transcript


In a frozen Michigan winter, a homeowner scattered bread crumbs daily, believing she was saving the local chickadees from starvation. However, by week three, the birds grew sluggish and fluffed their feathers unnaturally, showing signs of severe decline despite eating everything provided. A neighbor explained the heartbreaking truth: bread fills their tiny stomachs but offers zero fat or protein, causing them to stop hunting the high-calorie seeds they need to survive sub-zero nights. Horrified, the owner switched to high-fat suet and sunflower seeds, watching as the population blossomed from five struggling birds to forty healthy regulars within a year. This vital lesson proves that kindness without knowledge can be unintentionally cruel. To truly help the wild, we must learn what they actually need rather than what we find convenient to give. True protection begins with understanding the biology of those we wish to save.

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