Black Capped Chickadees' Survival during Winter

The Black Capped Chickadees are very interesting tiny birds.But as the winter is here I was wondering with little food available around how do they survive the long and cold winter nights.In general the greatest obstacle animals and birds face during the winter is staying warm. Like a little ball, small birds have a high surface area to volume ratio. As a result, they have a large surface area through which they can lose heat. In order to maintain their body temperatures, Chickadees must take in a large number of food calories which will be metabolized for body heat. So they must eat continuously during short daylight hours to stoke their metabolic fires. If they do not, they will not reserve enough energy to see them through the long night.
With an increased need for food comes a decrease in the types of food which are available. Chickadees have a diet that consists primarily of insects, fruit, and seeds. During the winter months, fruit and some insects become scarce. In order to assist with winter foraging, Chickadees (like all birds) have evolved a beak which is suited for the harshest conditions faced by the bird. Because Chickadees depend heavily on the seeds of coniferous trees during the winter, they have evolved beaks which are well adapted for cracking small nuts. There are two reasons why Chickadees are so reliant on coniferous tree seeds: 1) the seeds are high in fat and oil content and 2) the seeds are available year round.
In addition to increasing their food intake, Black-capped Chickadees have another trick for surviving the winter: they can lower their body temperatures by up to 14 degrees Fahrenheit at night to save energy. This drop in body temperature is a result of the birds' ability to decrease their metabolic rates. The fewer calories that are burned, the less energy that is created. Less energy means a lower body temperature. Black-capped Chickadees do not drop their body temperatures every night, though. This survival technique is usually saved for the most extreme cold weather fronts.With amazing adaptability instinct I hope to see the Chickadees around during winter.