Last updated on April 29th, 2022 at 01:52 am
Heated bird baths keep water from freezing, but are they good for birds? And more importantly, should you get one for the birds in your yard?
Heated bird baths are bad for birds unless you cover them to prevent bathing. No matter the temperature of the water, it’s dangerous for birds to bathe in the wintertime, but they can safely get a drink. To make your heated bird bath safe for birds, simply cover it most of the way with a board.
Why Heated Bird Baths Are Sometimes Bad for Birds
Heated bird baths create an artificial environment, tricking the birds into behaving as if it’s warmer outside than it is.
But once they’re wet, they’re forced to face the reality that it’s still very cold.
Birds can freeze to death if they’re left wet in the cold, or their wings can freeze together and keep them from flying.
How To Make Your Heated Bird Bath Safe for Birds
A birdbath serves two purposes for birds:
- Providing a place to bathe.
- Providing water to drink.
Although it’s dangerous for birds to bathe in a heated birdbath in the winter, it’s still helpful to provide them with a place to drink.
To make your heated bird bath safe for birds, use a board to cover most of the bath.
Leave just enough space that birds can drink from it but not so much that they’ll be able to climb in and bathe.
How To Take Care of Your Bird Bath in Winter
Concrete, glass, and stone bird baths are prone to cracking if filled with water in the winter, so keep that in mind when you’re setting it up for the season.
You never want your birdbath to freeze over, but if you have one of these kinds of birdbaths, freezing will potentially break the birdbath.
In addition to this, it makes the water dangerous or inaccessible to birds.
You can make your birdbath less likely to freeze over by changing the water regularly.
You’ll also want to put it close to a window, and fill it with warm water when you refill it.
You don’t need a heated birdbath, but as long as you cover it with a board, a heated birdbath can be a nice addition to your yard or garden.
A water fountain can prevent the water from freezing, although it alone won’t do the job during the coldest months in some regions.
Best Heated Bird Baths and Bird Bath Heaters 2021
If you’re going to use a heated birdbath this winter, consider using one of the following recommended heated bird baths and bird bath heating implements available on Amazon.com.
K&H Pet Products Ice Eliminator
This ice eliminator is a great choice for your winter birdbath. It’s a secondary device that you can add to any birdbath that will heat the water.
That way, you can keep your existing birdbath and turn it into a heated birdbath instead of purchasing an entirely new unit.
API Heated Birdbath
This heated birdbath is made from weather-resistant plastic, with an enclosed heating element that’s inaccessible to animals.
It’s 20 inches in diameter, about average for a birdbath but on the large side.
Note that this birdbath doesn’t come with a pedestal. After purchasing it, you’ll need to mount the birdbath on a pedestal, deck, or another surface.
GESAIL Bird Habitat Heated Bird Bath
This heated bird bath has a modern design, and it conveniently mounts onto a deck railing, the ground, or on a set of legs. It comes in blue, green, and red.
This birdbath is easy to clean and has a shallow design, encouraging drinking rather than bathing and making the water less likely to freeze.
How To Help Birds During the Winter
There are numerous ways that you can help birds in the winter, including all of the following:
- Provide drinking water: Since water tends to freeze in the winter, you can do birds a great service by providing thawed water that they can drink. Just make sure that the water isn’t too cold, or else even drinking the water can chill the birds dangerously.
- Cover your birdbath: You can leave some part of your birdbath exposed for birds to drink from, but you should also cover the main body of your birdbath to prevent them from trying to bathe in too-cold weather.
- Provide dry, accessible seed consistently: Ensure that your feeders do a good job protecting seeds from the elements, and change the seed out if it becomes damp to prevent mold from spreading. And make sure that the seeds are available regularly so that birds can depend on you, especially during bad weather.
- Scatter seed under bushes and in other sheltered areas. Scattering the seed will allow birds the opportunity to feed without needing to expose themselves by coming out to the feeder.
- Use high-energy foods like suet: Suet, meat scraps, and peanut butter are three very high-energy foods that give birds a boost in the winter. You can use a suet feeder or simply a log with peanut butter smeared on it.
- Offer mealworms: Insect-eating birds sometimes have a difficult time finding food in the winter, so offering a mealworm feeder can make a big difference to them.
- Put dried grass or wood shavings inside your bird boxes. About 3” to 4” should suffice. Just don’t use sawdust, which can retain moisture and fail to keep birds warm.
- Cover the air vent holes in your bird boxes. Air vents are essential during the summer, but they often do more harm than good in the winter. Keep birds warmer by plugging the air vent with removable weather stripping.
- Build a stick pile: A stick pile will provide shelter for birds so that they can hide from blustery winds on cold days.
- Plant native trees and shrubs. Trees and shrubs provide natural food and shelter, critical resources for birds during a harsh winter.