Animals in Winter

Animals in WINTER

The days grow short. The nights grow long. It is getting colder. Winter is coming. Leaves have fallen from the trees. There areno berries on the bushes. Insects are gone. Thegrass is dead and brown.

Birds and other animals are getting ready forwinter. Some of the birds will fly south. Bluebirdsand orioles go toward the south. They go where it is warm and sunny and wherethere is food for them to eat. When spring comes, the birds will make the long journey back north. They migrate.

Some butterflies migrate, too. That is whatthe monarch butterflies do. They gather in a tree by the hundreds before coldweather comes. They stay in the tree all night. In themorning, they fly toward their winter homes in the south.

Many bats fly south, too. But some bats stay in the north allwinter. When the weather gets cold, they go to a cave. There isno wind or snow in the cave. The bats sleep there all winter They do not eat. They live on fat stored inside them. They do not move. They hardly breathe. They sleep, sleep, sleep. They hibernate.

Woodchucks hibernate, too. When fall comes, awoodchuck eats and eats and eats. He eats grass, twigs, and leaves. He grows fat. When it gets cold, thewoodchuck crawls into his long tunnel and goes to sleep.