What do birds feed on in freezing temps?

birds will continue dying at levels bringing them towards extinction, and it is NOT lack of food or wintertime snow and ice that is killing them..

wintertime is dangerous for birds, and not because of weather but because birds are exposed to predators, the notorious bird killing hawks. THAT is the danger for birds and remaining rabbits and squirrels... folks with feeders, perhaps unaware of the killing bird population througout the country are not enabling survival by placing feeders about. the tiny beautifulbirds at feeders would find their natural foods just as for many tens thousands of years, in the wild without the feeders today providing cafeteria arragements for killer bird attacks.

.Those hawks seen around feeders not only in back yards but on fire escapes of apartment buildings are the end result of the explosion of the predator population of killer birds at the expense of the defenseless.. Caring people who realize the extent of the losses of our beautiful birds must make every effort to defend them. feeders are so compelling but they are nails in the coffins of small bird survival.

just a few articles on what the feeders accomplish.

"People who feed birds are upset to find hawks using bird feeders to capture prey. Birds at feeders are as important to the hawks as the seeds are to the smaller birds.

Raptors at Feeders: Hawks Eat Smaller Birds to the Dismay of Feeder Providers..."

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Accipiter_s...

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A%E2%80%A6

Some tips about saving your bird feeders in the freezing temp at http://birding.about.com/od/birdfeeders/a/Protect-...

Birds try to build a strong fat reserve in winters. The most common thing for bird is to migrate to a location which is less affected by the weather conditions.

Some birds fly south for winter and birds eat LOTS at the beginning of winter maybe to build up a fat store? but you know when it's going to be a hard winter because the tree's produce loads and loads of berries :)

Some tree's and bushes like holly have berries on in winter so i guess they eat berries and dig under snow maybe?

In iciness, a fowl will use a heated birdbath to drink from b/c it grants a source of liquid water. Birds can get water from snow and ice, notwithstanding it that take so plenty greater skill than getting from a heated birdbath.