Where Do Birds Go When It Rains? - NatureOutside

After three years of severe drought, Mother Nature is making up for it all in one go. 

Prolonged heavy rain often gets me thinking.  And the question that springs to mind this time is:  Where do birds go during a storm?

Sometimes simple questions provide insight into what we take for granted.  They make us pay attention to the world around us.  And this question, like many in nature, has a subtle answer:  It depends on the type of bird!

Seabirds

California Gull (Larus californicus) perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean

Some of the larger seabirds can ride out a storm at sea.  But most of the smaller ones seek shelter on land.  If you observe seabirds along the coast that typically fly far from land, it can signal an approaching storm beyond the horizon.  Gulls and pelicans can fly out of the storm’s path.  Their flight or absence can also warn of an advancing storm front.

Land Birds

The Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) catches insects on the wing. It is more vulnerable to prolonged heavy rain.

I’m sure you’ve observed that light rain does not affect most birds.  Their feathers shed rain and trap air against their bodies to help keep them warm.  But heavy rains prompt them to seek shelter in bushes and trees.  They remain motionless and conserve energy much as they do at night.

Prolonged rain means the birds will run an energy deficit.  At this point they must feed regardless of the consequences.  Seed eating birds tend to do alright, as do birds such as robins that hunt worms flooded out of the soil.  But insect eating birds and raptors can suffer greatly.  Their prey becomes inactive in heavy rain and this can become a crises.  Birds can and do die of hypothermia from many days of stormy weather.

Timing is Important

Smaller animals have a larger surface area to mass ratio.  So they lose heat faster.  Smaller birds, particularly chicks, are vulnerable to prolonged rain.  Heavy rains during breeding season can be more damaging to the bird population than at other time of the year.  This is also true because chicks have smaller energy reserves to draw upon than adults.

Ducks

Ducks, like these Mallards, benefit from flooded fields.

For some birds, heavy rain is an opportunity.  Flooded fields provide new territory for ducks.  And ducks can exploit them with fewer predators prowling around.  In addition, a good wet season means lots of insect larvae for the ducks to eat.

An Opportunity for Us Too

Looking for birds in the twilight after a heavy rain.  I was backpacking in the Rocky Mountains.

Where birds go and what birds do during a storm depends on the type of bird and the severity of the rains.  I like to go birding just after a heavy rain to enjoy the explosion of foraging activity as birds make up for lost time.

Try doing this and let me know what you see.  Leave a comment below.

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