If you love watching your backyard birds at your feeders, a birdbath is another fun way to provide habitat for them. Birds visit baths for many different reasons—and there are definitely ways to make your birdbath more appealing and welcoming for all sorts of birds.
As you probably guessed, birds visit birdbaths as a source of drinking water, but they also need it for grooming. “A bird bath allows our feathered friends to wash off dirt, parasites, and bacteria, maintain feathers, and more,” says Sarah Belles, Gulf Coast avian ecologist at American Bird Conservancy. “In warmer climates, birds also may use baths to regulate their body temperatures, just like how we visit the pool to cool off in hot summer months.”
Most backyard bird species will use a birdbath, especially songbirds such as Carolina chickadees, blue jays, and northern cardinals, as well as warblers, tanagers, or grosbeaks during migration periods. Even larger birds like hawks and owls can sometimes be found splashing around, says Belles.
Ahead, learn how to make your birdbath welcoming, including how deep it should be so your backyard birds actually visit:
Why Won’t Birds Visit My Birdbath?
If you’re wondering why no birds visit your birdbath, there may be a few things that simply aren’t to their liking. “A major barrier to birds visiting a bird bath is accessibility,” says Belles. If a bath is too deep or slopes too quickly on the sides, small birds especially will have a difficult time using it, especially if the bath is too slippery.”
The best approach is to find a birdbath that mimics a bird’s natural water source. “A shallow basin, low to the ground with gently sloping sides would be an ideal choice,” says Belles. Placing the bath in the shade also keeps the water cool and refreshing.
Birds have other preferences, too. “Birds seem to prefer baths that are at ground level, but raised baths will attract birds, too,” says Holly Grant, project assistant, NestWatch, at Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “One of the best ways to make your bird bath more attractive is to provide dripping water. You can buy a dripper or sprayer, or you can recycle an old bucket or plastic container by punching a tiny hole in the bottom, filling it with water, and hanging it above the birdbath so the water drips out,” says Grant.
What’s the Right Depth for a Birdbath?
Because your bath is likely visited mostly by small backyard songbirds, the water basin should be about 1 to 2 inches deep. If your bath is deeper than that, add smooth pebbles or small branches to give birds a place to perch so they feel comfortable. Perches are especially important in winter, says Grant.
How to Clean Your Birdbath to Keep Birds Healthy
Just like you wouldn’t want to splash around in a dirty bathtub, birds like clean water. “Dirt and droppings will quickly muddy a bath and can lead to spread of sickness and infection in your local bird community,” says Belles. Regular cleaning also prevents mosquito larvae from hatching because all mosquitoes lay eggs in water.
Every few days, completely empty the water. If necessary, use a high-pressure hose to rinse out gunk in the bottom. Mix 1 part white vinegar with 9 parts water. Use a scrub brush to thoroughly clean the bath with the vinegar mixture. Rinse the bath, and allow it to dry completely before refilling with fresh water, says Belles.
If you notice that a visitor left a particularly nasty surprise in the bath between your scheduled deep cleans, dump out the dirty water, rinse the bath out, and refill with clean water. “This won’t replace a deep clean and scrub, so don’t forget to keep up with your regular cleaning schedule,” says Belles.
Materials also make a difference when it comes to keeping your bath clean. “Ideally, the bird bath should be made of something non-porous. Concrete, for example, is porous and contains a bunch of tiny crevices where algae, fungi, bacteria and so on can hide,” says Grant. “A glass or metal bottom dish is much easier to clean. You can buy a bird bath, but dishes or shallow pans can work great, too.”
