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Written By: Jack Embery

Even as the cold weather sets in, there’s no need for the pleasure of bird feeding to diminish. In fact, with the drop in temperature, it becomes even more crucial to provide your backyard feeders with the necessary elements for survival and maintaining their health throughout the winter.

While many assume they lose a significant number of birds during winter due to migration to Central and Southern America, it’s worth noting that new birds migrate south from Canada and Alaska which can introduce a fresh array of visitors to your home feeders. For Colorado residents, anticipate a diverse influx of new birds from the Pacific and Central Flyway Migration. This includes species such as American Crows, Goldfinches, Robins, Bullock’s Orioles, Dark-eyed Juncos, and more.

Birds still need the same necessities as usual: Shelter, Food, and Water. 

When it comes to shelter, Wild Birds Unlimited offers a range of options, including bird houses tailored to different sizes and species. Our selection includes eco-tough houses designed to withstand various elements, natural wooden houses ideal for attracting woodpeckers and other birds, as well as decorative yet functional houses. Alternatively, for a more natural approach, consider having a brush pile in your backyard. While it may seem simple, it can offer birds protection from the weather and potential predators.

During the chilly winter months, especially cold nights, it’s crucial to provide your birds with the right nourishment. We recommend bird seed enriched with nuts or super suet, as these options offer a high-fat and high-protein content, ensuring your feathered friends stay well-fed during the winter. A top choice during winter, and our staff’s number one recommendation, is the Wild Birds Unlimited Winter Blend. Available in a 7-pound bag or 28- or 85-ounce cylinders, this seed is an ideal mix of high-fat and protein, complementing any of our other seeds, particularly our No Mess DP blend, which includes millet for ground feeders. 

In addition to providing the right nourishing food for the birds, it’s equally crucial to regularly replenish the feeders both in the morning and evening. This ensures that the birds have a continuous supply of food throughout the day, allowing them to stock up on essential nutrients to endure the cold night.

Ensuring your birds stay well-hydrated is as vital as it is for humans. Bird baths offer more than just a water source; they provide a space for birds to drink, clean themselves, and attract a diverse array of species to your backyard. This becomes particularly crucial in Colorado, where the fluctuating cold temperatures pose challenges. A true lifesaver in these conditions is a bird bath heater, eliminating concerns about scraping ice off the feeder or discouraging birds due to freezing conditions.

Among our winter best-sellers at WBU is the Bird Bath De-Icer. This efficient device avoids overheating the water with its multiple thermostat controls, adapting to changing temperatures while conserving energy. Suitable for any bird bath less than 30 gallons, it comes with a 10-foot cord and a one-year warranty, making it a clear choice for enhancing and winterizing your bird bath experience.

As winter wraps its icy embrace around us in Colorado, the act of bird feeding transforms into a gesture of care and connection with the avian world. Through the cold months, we’ve delved into the necessities of providing proper shelter, nourishment, and hydration to our feathered friends. From strategically chosen seeds to heated bird baths and thoughtfully placed feeders, each effort contributes to the well-being of these resilient backyard friends. 

A snapshot showcasing the featured products discussed in the blog. Explore the full range of our winter items at Wild Birds Unlimited to address all your feeding requirements.

Written By: Heather Weber-Langvardt

It seems an impossible thing to ignore if you’re at all involved in the bird world; the AOS (American Ornithological Society) has committed to changing all English-language names of birds that are named directly after people (eponyms). Birds that are named after places, like Canada Jays and Carolina Chickadees will remain the same.

This decision is going to mean the initial change of around 80 common bird names across the US and Canada! Because of the way the West was settled and discoveries were made a majority of those name changes will affect our Western birds.

Steller’s Jay

What does that mean for those of us who love the birds? The answer could vary; for someone like me it only means I will have some new bird names to remember. I’ll have to re-learn some beloved species. I know that personally the Steller’s Jay, a bird that was an everyday visitor to my home growing up in Black Forest, will be a difficult one to adjust to – I still forget that Grey Jays, who I used to hike with in the mountains, are now Canada Jays. But to me they were always just names. I enjoyed the birds, like most birders I wanted to know their names but I watched birds for the birds. I never really considered the eponyms connected to those birds, for good or bad. So it ends up just being a small change, albeit one that will take some time to get used to! To others, it could mean the removal of a barrier to birding, whether that barrier is caused by the dislike for the eponym or simply in understanding the birds themselves. Some others are completely against the changes. But regardless of the opinions, bird names change all of the time; species are split and lumped together, and our understanding of things in the bird world are constantly evolving and changing. Just like nature itself!

I think that the decision to remove all eponyms and go to more descriptive names is a smart move. It removes the decision of whether someone is “worthy” of having a bird named after them or not and removes any other controversy without needing to judge each case. Although I may initially miss Steller’s Jays, I like the move to more descriptive names, it feels like a move that will make birding easier for newcomers. For example, the name Yellow-Rumped Warbler or Red-Winged Black Bird tells you exactly what that bird is and exactly what to look for, but if it was called a Heather’s Warbler or Weber’s Blackbird you wouldn’t have any context of what that bird would be.

Yellow-rumped Warbler & Red-winged Blackbird

Besides, what a treat to get to honor something about the bird in its name! There is also the chance to get some beautiful and poetic names, like the Shining Sunbeam in South America!

Shining Sunbeam – A Hummingbird found in the cloud forests of South America. Photo courtesy of Jory Teltser and the Macaulay Library

The AOS has said that they are also committed to actively involving the public in the process of selecting new English bird names. That’s an exciting prospect, that those of us who watch and love these birds could have a say in the future of their names!

The name change is slated to take place over the next few years and information about the public comments will come out in the following days.

What do you think of the changes to the names and what are some of your choices for new names for our soon-to-be-renamed birds?