For those of us and our wintering birds who survived the recent Polar Vortex in January 2026, when actual air temperatures reached -35 degrees Fahrenheit (F) with -45 F below zero windchills, we all deserve a down coat to keep warm don’t you think? Well, it is just such a down coat, along with some other cold survival measures that allow our winter birds to survive our cold, northern winters. In fact, their winter survival strategies are some of the most remarkable in the animal kingdom.