66 Nebraskaland • January-February 2024
thick undercoating of fluffy down feathers traps
heat from their body close to the skin.
Also remarkable are the goose's feet, which
use an artery of warm blood to heat the frigid
blood returning to the heart from below — a
handy feature for a bird that spends a lot of time
standing on ice.
The cottontail rabbit surely prefers being too
cold rather than too hot. When not foraging,
rabbits take refuge in underground dens lined
with grass, straw and twigs. Regardless, winter
is a tough time for the species as estimates say
only 30 percent make it through to spring.
Of course, one of the most important
RIGHT: An eastern cottontail rabbit
(Sylvilagus floridanus) sits on a bed of snow
at Metcalf Wildlife Management Area
near Hay Springs.
BELOW: A great horned owl (Bubo
virginianus) sits through a light snow in an
abandoned ranch house in Sioux County.
OPPOSITE PAGE: A dark-eyed junco (Junco
hyemalis) clings to the branch of a redleaf
rose after a snow in Chadron.
