As colder weather arrives, animals are changing their habits.

Anne Riordan, an Interpretive Naturalist and Educator with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, explains that some birds are migrating south, while waterfowl await freezing waters. Other birds, however, are equipped to stay for winter, and some even migrate to Iowa for the season. Many mammals are focused on eating to build fat reserves for hibernation. Deer, though, remain active through the winter. Riordan notes that they adapt to the cold by growing a winter coat of hollow hairs, which provides insulation and keeps them warm as they search for food.