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attract birds to bird bath naturally
Bringing Birds into Your Garden
Birdbaths are fun for bird lovers of all ages. They let us nurture our instinct to care for nature. Plus, they support local bird populations.
Here are a few key points to keep in mind to attract birds to your birdbath.
“Think about location, cleanliness, and design to attract birds to your birdbath,” said David Wiedenfeld, Senior Conservation Scientist at American Bird Conservancy.
A birdbath is a point where birds can drink and be bathed.
“They can drink the water, which is sometimes needed when it’s very hot. If there’s no other source, this becomes important,” Wiedenfeld says. “They don’t have to drink a lot, now a birdbath, more importantly, is a place that we can help them keep their feathers,” he added.
Feathers are significant for birds. They help keep them warm and, most importantly, let them fly.
“Birds need to keep their feathers in good condition to do that, so bathing is a really important behavior,” says Wiedenfeld. “Bird ‘bathing’ is very much about getting the feathers wet and then preening, to ensure that they’re well cared for and all lying correctly. Birds drink from birdbaths, especially in hot or dry weather. The location and water depth can encourage them to bathe.
Location, access, and design are all important factors to consider when installing your birdbath.
The location of a birdbath is crucial, as a bird bathing or having just bathed and is preening is vulnerable to predators.
“That’s mainly because it’s busy with other tasks and can’t stay alert for predators,” says Wiedenfeld. “Therefore birds like to have a place to perch and hide close by. You could have a small tree or several shrubs, maybe low trees, within a few feet of the birdbath. So, you end up with a way for the birds to approach the birdbath, see no predators, for instance.
After the bird has bathed, they also enjoy having someplace to sit and Preen until they dry.
“A birdbath in the middle of a large open waterless area rarely will draw many birds,” he says.
A birdbath should be no deeper than birds can stand in.
“Most birdbaths are shallow and saucer-shaped,” Wiedenfeld says. He adds that placing rocks in a birdbath can be helpful. “Rocks can provide a perch for songbirds, as well as visually grounding or naturalizing the birdbath.”
Birdbaths “don’t have to be a saucer on a pedestal,” Wiedenfeld says.
“Birds are so happy with a birdbath that’s on the ground if there’s a nice shrub or low tree relatively close for protection and for cover,” he says.
According to Wiedenfeld, the way to encourage birds to their bath is a two-pronged approach, but it all comes down to one thing – keeping it fresh.
attract birds to bird bath naturally
Birdbaths must be kept clean, as with bird feeders.
“Even if it just means hosing out or rinsing the bird bath every day or two,” Wiedenfeld says. “You can use detergent or bleach; they both kill SARS,” he said, mentioning the virus family that includes the Coronavirus. Just make sure to rinse the birdbath well afterward. Birds can pick up many parasites or diseases from dirty birdbaths.”
A birdbath with a small fountain, bubbler, or waterfall feature can be quite a draw to birds.
“Birds enjoy running water, because to them that means it’s probably fresher and cleaner than a still pool,” Wiedenfeld says.
Birds must use their plumage year-round, so they will bathe during winter, even in very cold weather. In addition, they need water to drink 365 days of the year.
“Even though ponds, lakes, and streams in the Southeastern U.S. rarely freeze, having frozen water can help birds. If you use a heater in your birdbath to keep it thawed, it’s beneficial,” Wiedenfeld says. “Or, you can simply pour a little warm water into a birdbath, say, once a day, or on the worst of cold days.”
MD Imdadul Haque is the founder of BirdzFly, a research-backed resource on North American backyard birds. Drawing on years of independent study into bird identification, behavior, and migration patterns, he writes in-depth guides designed to help US birders understand the species in their own backyards — from common feeder visitors to seasonal migrants passing through.
