The Importance of Water

The Importance of Water
Water is important to birds equally in the summer as in the winter to keep them clean. In the summer, water helps cool birds off. In the winter, birds will actually increase their bathing since they need to keep their feathers clean to stay warm.

A bird bath is helpful for nesting parents, who with a convenient water source nearby, need not be away from the nest for extended periods of time.

Unfrozen water can be as hard for birds to find in winter as food. Birds need water not only to drink, but also to keep their feathers clean and fluffy to provide the insulation to keep warm in cold weather. A dependable supply of fresh water will even attract birds to your yard that would not ordinarily come to your feeders. A shallow, easy-to-clean, heated bird bath is the best kind. A heated bird bath will provide unfrozen water in the winter & can be used all year long. Clean your bird bath often and keep it filled with fresh water.

Setting up your Bird Bath
Place your bird bath somewhere that is easily visible to you, and close to a water source for easy filling and cleaning. Remember, bird baths are basically artificial puddles, so shallow is better.

Bird baths should be placed far enough away from feeders (4-5 feet) to prevent contamination from debris. Baths should also be placed in the vicinity of trees or shrubs, so that after bathing the birds can quickly reach a protected spot to preen and clean.

The Best Bath is a Clean One
It is important to keep your bird bath clean and filled with fresh water. Emptying and scrubbing the baths every two or three days will prevent bacteria, algae, Salmonella and other disease organisms from fouling the water. Household products such as vinegar are fine to use as a cleaning agent; never use chemicals.