Where Do Animals Go in Winter?

When winter rolls around, we like to cozy up with a cup of hot chocolate and a warm wool sweater. But what do animals do when the days get short and the temperature drops? This winter let’s discover how animals adapt to the changing seasons.

Match the animal below with the corresponding winter adaptation (the photos are not in the correct positions). You can find the Answer Key here.

1. This large aquatic bird can be found fishing the waters around Beaver Lake or Lost Lagoon. It has a high percentage of rod-type photoreceptors in its eyes, which allows it to hunt in the shorter, darker winter days. 

(Photo: Michael Schmidt)

 

2. These tiny birds are usually found buzzing around the Stanley Park Rose Garden in the spring and summer. Like many Vancouverites, they choose to visit warmer climates when winter arrives. 

(Photo: George Kamiya)

3. This small creature will cozy up for the winter making its nest inside a hole in a tree; insulating it with bark and moss to stay warm on especially cold days.

(Photo: Don Enright)

 

4. This flying creature has two strategies for coping with winter temperatures. Some species migrate south to warmer climates, while others hibernate in caves, abandoned mines and deep rock crevices. 

(Photo: Michael Schmidt)

 

5. This small bird’s spring call sounds like “cheeseburger” It gorges on summer berries but come winter, it uses its well adapted beak to crack open nuts and seeds.

(Photo: Andre Chan)

6. This animal from the “kingdom of many legs” seeks shelter from the cold winter weather under the bark of trees, deep inside rotting logs or in any small crack or crevasse found in the forest.

(Photo: Mark T. White)

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