A mourning dove chills out to stay warm as subzero temperatures set in across the area this week. Like most birds that remain in the north during winter, the dove wards off the effects of the extreme cold by fluffing out its feathers to trap air heated by its body close to the skin. It also keeps its featherless feet covered, although according to Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/, "the surface temperature of their toes may be barely above freezing even as the bird maintains its core body temperature above 100°F (38°C). But most birds don’t succumb to frostbite because there is so little fluid in the cells of their feet, and their feet are mostly tendons and bones with little muscle or nerve tissue." The article "Why Don't Birds Get Cold Feet?" went on to state: "Birds also have a countercurrent heat exchange system in their legs and feet—the blood vessels going to and from the feet are very close together, so blood flowing back to the body is warmed by blood flowing to the feet. The newly cooled blood in the feet lowers heat loss from the feet, and the warmed blood flowing back into the body prevents the bird from becoming chilled. And because bird circulation is so fast, blood doesn’t remain in the feet long enough to freeze." One final note: It appears birds might have few pain receptors in its feet. (Betsy Bloom/Daily News)