Harsh winters affect area wildlife, habitats

The recent cold and snowy weather takes a toll on wildlife, especially when the temperature goes below zero and snow covers the ground. Quail are having a hard time already, succumbing to the bitter cold when snow shuts them out of their normal food sources.

While hunting in Ray County, I found a dead quail that didn't show any sign of injury. Apparently, it simply ran out of fuel for it's tiny metabolic furnace.

The flame of its life was snuffed out by weather more characteristic of the Arctic than the Midwest.

Jim Low, of the Missouri Department of Conservation, reported that wildlife biologists with the MDC know that deep snow, extreme cold and gusty wind shift the precarious balance of life and death against small birds and mammals.

Cold weather forces small animals to venture out and forage for food to replenish their energy. With all but the thickest cover drifted over, owls, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, skunks, weasels and raccoons find it easier to find and catch their prey.

Hawks sometimes find prey so easy to catch that they eat only the heads of birds, dropping the bodies to the ground.

Large animals, such as deer and turkeys, have more of a buffer against extended cold. They can dig through snow cover or forage above it for food.

They can afford to reduce their activity during bitterly cold weather to conserve energy and seek out food rich in carbohydrates to maintain energy reserves.

Animals whose habits allow them to find food and shelter regardless of weather fare well. Squirrels can feed on buds and stockpiled nuts and hole up in hollow trees.

Flocks of ducks, robins and other migratory birds fly south until they find favorable conditions.

Snakes, lizards and turtles generally fare better during harsh winters, waiting out the cold in hibernation. A few succumb to cold because they failed to dig deep enough into the ground, though they are the exceptions.

Animals that suffer most in severe weather are species that must find food and shelter at ground level, and are too large to hide beneath the snow. Abundant food and brushy cover help rabbits, quail, armadillos, sparrows and juncoes survive by providing energy-rich foods and shelter from the elements.

Sometimes, even high-quality habitat isn't enough.

Even among similar animals, tolerance to cold varies widely. Chickadees can survive at temperatures as cold as 50 degrees below zero, while Carolina wrens perish in weather like Missouri has seen recently.

Other birds like mockingbirds, bluebirds, quail and meadowlarks are similarly sensitive, succumbing to bitter cold when snow shuts them out of their normal food sources.

Aquatic animals survive cold weather by going dormant beneath the ice. However, shallow ponds and those with excessive underwater vegetation can experience winter kills when covered by snow and ice. Cut off from sunlight, the plants die and decompose, depleting oxygen the fish need to survive.

Although individual animals perish and severe weather may cause temporary declines in local wildlife numbers, wildlife populations have tremendous capacity to recover from hard times. Given adequate food, shelter and water, surviving individuals' reproductive rate increases to fill available habitat.

Within a few years, the effects of a tough winter disappear.