At other times of the year they eat willow and birch leaves, grasses and similar plants. Herders gather up their animals and begin the long journey to the winter feeding grounds, while wild caribou follow the instinctive pull towards their winter ranges. How many calves do Reindeers have? The diet of their food includes grass, … Summer food is grass, sedges, green leaves of shrubs and new growth of larch, willow, and birch; mushrooms are sought in late summer. But that means less green food and more flying, biting insects. During winter months reindeer love to eat lichens, especially reindeer moss. In fact, the reindeers do not fly, but they run fast. Once winter sets in and snow covers the tundra, the reindeer diet narrows down to one food: lichen. In the winter months they feed almost exclusively on lichens and fungi which they often gain access to by sweeping snow and ice away with their antlers and/or hooves. See, a reindeer prefers summers that are rainy and cool. However, they also eat the leaves of willows and birches, as well as sedges and grasses. Lichens are organisms where fungus and green algae or bacteria grow together (called a symbiotic relationship). Lichens are organisms where fungus and green algae or bacteria grow together (called a symbiotic relationship). A mince pie for Santa and a carrot for the Reindeer, that’s what we leave out on Christmas eve, in the UK at least. When winter blows in, many reindeer have to travel south to find enough to eat as their breeding grounds become icy, windy and desolate. The great reindeer migration. What do Reindeers eat? They mainly eat lichens in winter, especially reindeer moss. They survive by eating a lot of Cladonia rangiferina, also known as Reindeer Lichen. Reindeers eat many types of plants and their favorite food is lichen. In the winter reindeer and caribou eat mainly lichens. I hope that this article answers your question: "What do deer eat in the winter?" Beyond their sled-pulling capabilities and discrimination against those with red noses, what do you really know about reindeer? The calf follows its mother and shares this food. In Winter, food is very difficult to find for ruminant animals that eat primarily vegetation. They have been recorded as being opportunistic carnivores eating lemmings, birds eggs and arctic char (fish). Northern deer are omnivorous creatures. In the summer, reindeer thrive by eating grasses, plants, herbs, leaves, and forms of fungi. Reindeer also enjoy eating the leaves of willow trees and birch trees. Reindeers, both males and females have antlers; the difference is that the former lose them when winter arrives and the latter, late in the season. Most reindeer will then migrate between 1,000 – 3,000 miles to feed in slightly warmer areas before the severe winter weather hits. Reindeer are herbivores, so eat only plants feasting on a mix of grasses, shoots, leaves, fungi and mosses. The antlers of reindeer. Lichen survives the cold winters because of its unique biological combination of algae and fungus. To prevent starvation, their digestive system evolved to allow them to utilize the nutrients in lichens.