With below freezing temperatures gripping parts of Europe, and further cold snaps predicted for parts of the UK in the coming weeks, it’s not only us humans feeling the bite.Robins and other native birds are under increasing danger due to unpredictable weather patterns.
Though hardy, they are not invincible.During a cold winter, up to half of garden birds can be lost to cold and hunger.
In the UK, the Red List of endangered bird species has more than doubled in the last 25 years. Robins - the country’s national bird - are particularly vulnerable as they stay loyal to their gardens whatever the weather.A robin can use up to 10 per cent of its body weight to keep warm on a single winter night.
Unless it can replenish its reserves every day, a cold spell can prove fatal. With hedgerows declining, there is a lack of natural food, and without supplementary bird feeding in gardens, many robins die of cold and starvation.Unusual weather patterns have swept Europe, with record heatwaves in the summer to an unseasonably warm October and November, and a harsh winter underway.