Where Do Wild Animals Go During Heavy Rain and Thunderstorms?

When a summer thunderstorm sends us running indoors, it's easy to wonder what happens to everything that lives outside. Where do birds go when rain is coming down sideways? What do squirrels do during a thunderstorm? And what about deer, rabbits and all the smaller animals that don't have a roof to hide under?

For most wildlife, the answer isn't dramatic. Animals that live outdoors are remarkably good at finding shelter in the places they already know.

Dense trees, shrubs, hollow logs, rock crevices, burrows and even the sheltered side of a tree can provide protection from wind and rain. Just as important, many animals respond to worsening weather by becoming less active and conserving energy until conditions improve.

Where Do Birds Go When It Rains?

Birds don't necessarily rush for shelter at the first raindrop. In light or moderate rain, you may still see them feeding and flying normally. Their feathers provide surprisingly good protection, and preening helps keep those feathers properly arranged.

Heavy rain is different. Birds often seek dense vegetation, evergreen trees, cavities and other protected spots where foliage or solid surfaces block some of the rain and, especially, the wind.

Small birds face a particular challenge because they lose body heat relatively quickly. Sitting quietly in a protected location allows them to conserve energy instead of spending it flying through strong winds and driving rain.

You may notice this in your own yard. A normally busy bird feeder can suddenly become deserted during the worst part of a storm, only to become active again soon after the rain passes.

Feathers Are Better Raincoats Than They Look

A bird sitting outside in the rain may look thoroughly soaked, but its feathers are designed to provide insulation and protection. The outer feathers help shed water while layers of feathers closer to the body trap insulating air.

Birds also spend considerable time preening, using their bills to clean and arrange their feathers. Many species spread oils produced by a gland near the base of the tail through their plumage as part of this process.

But even good feathers have limits. Prolonged heavy rain combined with cold temperatures and strong wind can make it difficult for a bird to maintain body temperature. Young birds and fledglings can be especially vulnerable.

For many birds, then, avoiding a storm isn't simply about staying dry. It's about staying warm and conserving energy.

What Do Squirrels Do During a Thunderstorm?

Squirrels usually have somewhere to go.

Tree squirrels commonly shelter in tree cavities or leafy nests called dreys. A drey may look like a loose pile of leaves from below, but a well-built one has layers of leaves, twigs and softer material that provide considerably more protection than its appearance suggests.

During severe weather, a solid tree cavity offers better protection than an exposed nest. Squirrels may remain sheltered for hours while heavy rain and wind pass through.

Like birds, they generally don't need to escape every shower. But when conditions become severe, staying put is often safer and uses much less energy than trying to move around.

Deer, Rabbits and Other Ground-Dwelling Animals

Larger mammals don't always have a cozy den waiting for them. Deer may bed down in dense woods, thickets or areas protected from the strongest wind. Thick vegetation can reduce exposure even if it doesn't keep them completely dry.

Rabbits have more substantial shelter available. Many species use burrows or dense vegetation, while cottontails—which generally don't dig extensive burrow systems of their own—often hide beneath shrubs, brush piles and other low cover.

Foxes, groundhogs, chipmunks and many other mammals can retreat underground. Burrows provide protection not only from rain but also from wind and sudden temperature changes.

The safest place varies by species, but the basic strategy is remarkably consistent: find cover, reduce exposure and wait.

Smaller backyard creatures have their own rainy-day strategies too. Earthworms, frogs, bees, butterflies, ants and mosquitoes all respond to rain in surprisingly different ways.

Do Animals Know a Storm Is Coming?

Sometimes they appear to.

Animals can detect many of the environmental changes that occur before a storm, including changes in wind, temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure. Birds and insects may alter their activity as conditions change, while some animals begin seeking shelter before the heaviest weather arrives.

That doesn't necessarily mean they are consciously "predicting" a thunderstorm. They may simply be responding to physical changes that are already underway.

A sudden quieting of a backyard before a storm can be striking. Birds stop calling, insects seem to disappear and animals that were active a short time earlier are suddenly difficult to find. Often, they've simply moved into protected places and reduced their activity.

What About Thunder?

Thunder sounds frightening to us, but the sound itself generally isn't the main danger to wildlife. Animals may startle or seek cover in response to loud thunder, but the accompanying weather presents much greater risks.

Strong winds can knock down branches and destroy nests. Hail can injure animals caught in the open. Flash flooding can fill burrows or sweep away animals living near streams. Cold, prolonged rain can be particularly hard on young animals.

Lightning is dangerous too, although the risk varies enormously depending on where an animal is when a strike occurs. Thunderstorms can also produce remarkably localized rainfall, so animals only a short distance apart may experience very different conditions.

Can Wild Animals Be Struck by Lightning?

Yes. Wild animals can be killed or injured by lightning just as people and domestic animals can.

Animals standing in open areas can be vulnerable to direct strikes, but lightning doesn't have to hit an animal directly to be dangerous. Electrical current can travel through the ground after a nearby strike. Large animals with their feet spaced apart can be particularly susceptible to this ground current because different legs may be in contact with areas at different electrical potentials.

Animals sheltering beneath an isolated tall tree can also be at risk. Lightning tends to strike taller objects, and electricity can travel through or around the tree and into the surrounding ground.

Wildlife doesn't understand lightning safety the way people do, of course. Animals rely on behaviors that usually protect them from storms, but those instincts can't eliminate every danger. And lightning isn't always accompanied by rain at your exact location—lightning can occur even when no rain is falling where you are.

Heavy Rain Can Be More Dangerous Than the Thunderstorm Itself

For many animals, water becomes the biggest problem when rainfall is intense or prolonged.

Burrows can flood. Streams can rise rapidly. Nests can be damaged or washed away, and young animals may become chilled. Small animals living close to the ground are particularly vulnerable when normally dry areas suddenly fill with water.

How quickly the rain arrives can be just as important as the total amount. Rainfall intensity and total rainfall are two different things, and a short, intense downpour may create much more rapid runoff than the same amount of rain spread over several hours.

On the other hand, many burrowing species choose sites with drainage in mind, whether through instinct, experience or generations of natural selection. Burrow entrances may be positioned on slopes or constructed in ways that reduce the amount of water flowing directly inside.

Still, an extreme downpour can overwhelm even a well-placed shelter.

What Happens After the Storm?

One of the most interesting times to watch wildlife is just after heavy rain ends.

Birds emerge and begin feeding again. Squirrels leave their shelters. Earthworms and other invertebrates may appear near the surface, creating feeding opportunities for birds. Puddles provide temporary drinking and bathing spots, while the newly damp ground can make certain foods easier to find.

Animals that spent several hours conserving energy may become noticeably active.

Rain also transforms the environment around them. Streams rise, soil softens, insects respond to the moisture and plants collect water on their leaves. Some rain runs across the surface, while some infiltrates the soil and may eventually make its way into groundwater.

To wildlife, a storm isn't simply an interruption. It's part of the constantly changing habitat in which they live.

Wildlife Is Built for Weather

Watching a small bird cling to a branch in pouring rain can make it seem surprisingly vulnerable. And extreme weather certainly can injure and kill wildlife, particularly young animals or those caught in floods, hail and destructive winds.

But ordinary storms are part of life outdoors. Wild animals have feathers, fur, shelters, behaviors and instincts that help them cope with weather that would send us immediately looking for a roof.

Most of the time, the animals that seem to have vanished during a thunderstorm haven't gone very far. They're tucked beneath leaves, inside tree cavities, underground or deep in the brush, doing something humans have also learned to do when the rain really starts coming down: finding a protected spot and waiting for it to pass.