The best birdbath is not only attractive in the garden but keeps birds safe. Use these tips to ensure your backyard birdbath is the right style and depth to provide a safe place for wild birds to drink and bathe.
If your birdbath is cracked or broken, see these ideas for turning it into a planter!
How to Keep Birdbaths Safe
What do wild birds need? Healthy habitat. Bugs. Water. That’s a simplified list but those are the essentials.
Birdbaths provide a place for birds to clean their feathers and remove parasites.
But they don’t really bathe—they splash instead. This is because the wild birds in our gardens cannot swim like ducks or other water birds.
And, because they cannot swim, the safest birdbaths are shallow with secure places to stand.
A birdbath bowl that holds just an inch or two of water, lined with some rough stones providing good grip for their feet, is perfect.
The closer to the ground, the more it will appeal to the birds.
A shady location helps prevent algae growth.
To maintain it, birdbaths should be cleaned and refilled daily. This will prevent a build-up of slime and help reduce the chance of disease transmission.
Keep reading for the top tips for providing a safe backyard birdbath for wild birds.
Yes, birds can drown in birdbaths. Birds that cannot swim can slip and fall into birdbaths and drown. This is why it’s important to keep birdbath water shallow, provide rough stones or bricks for grip, and clean everything daily to avoid algae and slime.
Wild Bird Safety Note
During outbreaks of the highly pathogenic diseases including avian influenza, it is strongly recommended to remove bird feeders and cease any hand-feeding. This may help reduce transmission rates amongst our wild bird populations.
Ongoing, feeders should be cleaned frequently with a bleach solution and remove any debris from ground around feeders.
Tips For A Safe Birdbath
1Choose the Right Depth
Choose a birdbath 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 birdbath is too deep, the birds can drown. Ensure the birdbath 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 birdbaths are often too deep, the porous surface encourages 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.
2Choose a Safe Location
Locate the birdbath in shade, away from shrubs and bird feeders.
- The ideal birdbath mimics a shallow puddle but has clean, fresh water. Birds prefer to bathe at ground level but you can also have a birdbath on a stand up to 3 feet off the ground.
- Placing the birdbath in shade slows down evaporation and algae growth.
- Keep birdbaths 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 birdbaths.
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3Add Fresh Water Daily
Provide fresh water daily and keep the bowl clean and mold-free.
- Regular water changes, cleaning and disinfecting help prevent the spread of disease between birds.
- These instructions for cleaning bird feeders can be used for birdbaths as well. Tough stains may be removed with a Magic Eraser (Amazon.com).
4Keep Water Moving
Running water is ideal.
- Gently moving water not only attracts birds 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.
- In the summer, this could be a small fountain pump.
- In winter, it could be a birdbath heater or water pump.
I use a floating de-icer/ heater in my pond during the winter both to keep running water accessible and to provide air holes for the fish.
Birdbath Resources
More Tips
- Many commercial birdbaths 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 birdbath 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.
Here are some favorite moments from my backyard birdfeeders:
Attracting Wild Birds to Your Garden
Just like us, birds need food, water, and shelter.
- Grow a diverse selection of plants including flowers, trees and shrubs that support the web of life.
- Grow bugs. Many bird species eat a lot of insects and other invertebrates.
- An eco-beneficial garden is a “messy” garden: dead and decaying things nourish life.
- Provide fresh water. Puddles and ponds both help.
- Avoid the use of any products toxic to birds and their food sources including caterpillars.
- Keep predatory pets out of your garden.
- Decorative birdhouses are not safe for birds.
- Use nesting boxes intended to safely house specific bird species.
- If using feeders, provide clean fresh water and the right types of seed.
- Clean bird feeders frequently. Remove feeders immediately if you notice any sign of disease or problems like salmonella, trichomoniasis, aspergillosis, or avian pox are reported in your area.
- Recommended Book: Bird-Friendly Gardening: Guidance and Projects for Supporting Birds in Your Landscape by Jen McGuinness
TIP:
Netvue Birdfy AI Smart Bird Feeder With Camera | To view the bird activity in your garden 24/7, an automated camera is an excellent option.
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛