Not all birdbaths are safe for birds. These tips show how to choose the right depth and style so the birds can bathe and drink safely in your garden.
If your bird bath is cracked or broken, see these ideas for turning it into a planter!
Good Reasons To Have A Bird Bath
- Birds need to drink water. Fresh, cool, clean water is best.
- Birds use water to clean their feathers and remove parasites.
- Bird baths are a decorative way to attract birds to our gardens.
- Some birds totally love a good bath.
Tips For A Safe Bird Bath
1. Choose a bird bath that is sturdy, washable, and just 1-2″ deep.
- If you watch carefully you’ll notice that many birds don’t really bathe but instead find a secure place to stand and splash themselves with water.
- If a bird bath is too deep, the birds can drown. Ensure the bird bath has a gradual slope and secure places to stand without being submerged in the water. If your water is too deep, add bricks or rough stones to achieve a safe depth. Any surface the bird can stand on should be slightly rough so they can grip and not slip.
- Make sure there is also a place for birds to perch and drink without getting wet.
- Select a material that is easy to clean. Traditional concrete bird baths are often too deep, the porous surface encourges algae growth, and they tend to crack from temperature changes. I prefer a shallow dish with a lip the birds can grab with their feet.
2. Locate the bird bath in shade, away from shrubs and bird feeders.
- The ideal bird bath mimics a shallow puddle but has clean, fresh water. Birds prefer to bathe at ground level but you can also have a bird bath on a stand up to 3 feet off the ground.
- Placing the bird bath in shade slows down evaporation and algae growth.
- Keep bird baths away from shrubs or dense flower beds where predators like cats may hide.
- Birds are territorial so it’s always smart to allow some distance between bird feeders as well as bird baths.
3. Provide fresh water daily.
- Regular water changes and cleaning helps prevent the spread of disease between birds. Algae and other growth can be removed with diluted bleach and repeated rinsing. Tough stains may be removed with a Magic Eraser (Amazon.com).
4. Running water is ideal.
- Gently moving water not only attracts bird, but helps prevent contamination in warm weather and freezing in the colder seasons.
- There are many options for immersion water pumps, drippers, and heaters using electricity, batteries, or solar power.
- I can’t recommend a specific one because the only thing I use is a floating heater in my pond (to keep if from freezing over), but you can see some ideas here at Amazon.com.
Bird Bath Resources
- Many commercial bird baths are too deep to be safe. As mentioned, you can adapt them by adding bricks or stones so the water does not get more than 1-2″ deep. Also make sure you keep the base secure so it cannot tip over.
- Other options include making your own bird bath with a shallow serving dish or pot lid.
- I have a small garden pond and I built a sloping walkway into the pond (using bricks) for the birds and wildlife to access the water at whatever depth they like.
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛
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MaryAnn Coy says
Hi Melissa, people should know a bird bath in the vegetable garden are a good thing. I always kept a flat rock in mine. For the birds & the butterflies. Butterflies need a rock that slants down to the waters edge, they must be very close to the surface to drink. A very shallow slope. If they slip into the water they drown or ruin their wings, both amount to death, for a butterfly. A bird bath keeps birds from nipping into tomatoes for the juices.Then during their visit they snack on pestiferous bugs. A garden doesn’t bear well unless it is pollinated. Bees and other pollinators require water to pollinate. A bird bath attracts the pollinators that return again because of the watersouce.
Melissa J. Will says
Hi MaryAnn, Thanks for sharing your tips. I know some gardeners do not want birds in near their veggie gardens no matter what but the rest of us can have bird baths there (I do) and it works out fine.
Pat says
I want to put pebbles, small stones on the bottom of my large birdbath that sits on top of the ground for bees and butterflies to light on. Would using sea shells (ones picked up on a East Coast beach) be safe to use instead of the pebbles/small stones
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Pat, I would disinfect everything (including the shells) with diluted bleach first (1 part bleach, 9 parts water), rinse thoroughly so no trace of bleach remains. Then, clean everything weekly the same way.
Trudi Ross says
If I wanted to make a DIY bird bath, what type of silicone sealant do you recommend? I noticed you said not to use the silicone you use for other garden projects like gazing balls, totems, etc. I want a cute bird bath but also don’t want to harm the birds. Thank you!
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Trudi, This shows the sealant/adhesive I use for garden projects and explains more about it: https://empressofdirt.net/adhesive-garden-art-projects/. For bird baths, the key is to aseemble it in a way where the adhesive will never be sitting in water. I have a tutorial here: https://empressofdirt.net/diy-bird-bath-ideas/ 🙂
Karen says
You sound like you like a glazed basin. I read that that’s slippery for the birds.
Melissa J. Will says
Nope! I always recommend a slightly rough surface like brick so the birds can grip and not slip. And, surfaces need to be kept clean (algae-free) so they retain their grip.
Bernice says
Hi Melissa, love your bird info. I live in Airdrie Alberta. I love watching the birds at feeders and birdbaths. I just moved into a new area and the city just put trees in along the street this spring so more birds are starting to visit the area. My sister and I are getting our landscaping done slowly and I am almost ready to put out feeders and birdbath. Can’t t wait to them to visit our yard.
Debra says
i was given a concrete birdbath and decorated the inside with mosaic. now it is easy to wipe clean or hose out – the usual slime doesn’t build up – and it was a fun winter project!
Melissa J. Will says
Some people find any standing water will dislodge mosaic tiles. Maybe you found the lucky formula for avoiding this?
Helen says
I live in the hot, dry desert. Water for birds and others is important. I use a shallow rubber livestock feed pan with large rocks inside and around the edges on the outside. Birds of all sizes from the tiny verdin to the great horned owl visit daily and give us a great show, thanks for your tips–and I love your posts,
Mary Morris says
Really enjoy your posts
Sue says
Would appreciate birdbath cleaning tips, I have a shallow concrete birdbath with a raised ledge in the centre. I clean it with a wire brush and running water every day during the non-winter seasons but it still gets slightly slimy, I don’t like the idea of using chemicals which run over into the grass.
Melissa J. Will says
Hi Sue, I’ve heard a few gardeners say they have good success using Magic Erasers to remove the tough grime on concrete planters and maintain them. Just rinse thoroughly after use.
KellyM says
I have the Allied Precision heated bath mounted on my deck and love it. It is quite shallow, but I still put a rough flagstone in the centre, which I’ve noticed results in more visitors. I have to clean the poop out daily and refill. That little water evaporates very quickly. An American Robin waits until I’ve just refreshed it. She only likes really clean water.
Melissa J. Will says
Robins are wonderful bathers! I had one a while back who bathed over and over again, all day long, loving every moment of it. Thanks for the heated bird bath recommendation. 🙂
Nancy Blue Moon says
I am glad that you tell people the fact that birds can drown in birdbaths..I never knew this until I found your blog!
Melissa J. Will says
I’m glad the word is spreading. Thanks Nancy!