The Seasons: Winter

When the world turns away from the sun and birds migrate.
And snowflakes flutter down constantly
The hedgehog, bat and dormouse hibernate
And the robin whistles its winter melody

Hello ZOOHeimer! This time I will tell you everything about winter.
But what is winter? And what happens to nature? Why do animals hibernate and why do birds migrate? Winter is the fourth season of the year. It is also the coldest season. Because the world turns away from the sun it receives less heat.

In the northern hemisphere winter begins around December 21 and ends around March 21st. In the southern hemisphere winter begins June 21 and ends around September 23rd.

How do trees protect themselves against the cold winter?
Trees lose their leaves during autumn. Trees get their food through their roots in the ground. They now don’t have to feed the leaves because they already lost them during autumn. During winter the trees hardly grow. They are hibernating and barely feed themselves. The trees don’t grow much during winter.
Some animals hibernate, either because it is too cold or there is no food around. The dormouse, hedgehog and bat hibernate.

What are sedentary birds? And how did the get that name? Some birds stay during winter. They are also called sedentary birds. They stay in the country. Sedentary means sitting down, not leaving. As the Great Tit, Black Crow, Wren, Magpie, Nuthatch, House Sparrow and this Robin.
The European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a songbird and owes its name to the reddish-brown or orange chest. This robin looks rather fat, this is because she fluffed her feathers to keep warm… Oh, there she goes!

Oh, him again! Sigh. A Squirrel, also known as red squirrel, or plain Squirrel. (Sciurus vulgaris)
With his long claws he can easily climb trees. The squirrel jumps from tree to tree. Then he spreads its legs and the loose skin is used as wings. He flies! His big bushy tail is used to steer. During autumn they collect all their food to have supply during winter.The squirrel doesn’t hibernate. When it gets cold he stays in his nest. The squirrel is now sitting in a blue spruce. That is a very popular Christmas tree.

ZOO! I hope you now know something more about winter!