Are Heated Bird Baths Good
or Bad for Birds?

By Richard Worden

Having a bird bath in your yard is an excellent way to bird-watch. It’s also a great water source for birds, and you can even find heated bird baths. But are heated bird baths good or bad for birds?

Heated bird baths can be good for birds, but there are some precautions to take when having one. They help with temperature regulation and provide a water source during the cold seasons. However, it’s not recommended to have heated bird baths that are too hot.

In this article, I will discuss the pros and cons of bird baths and how to maintain them, along with how to let birds know you have a water source waiting for them.

Pros of a Heated Bird Bath

There are several pros to having a heated bird bath. Bird baths, in general, provide a water source for birds. Birds need access to clean water for bathing and drinking, and it may even be difficult for them to find. This way, they have a readily available water source waiting for them in your garden.

In general, bird baths help a bird regulate its temperature and also assists them to clean off dirt and parasites. During the winter months, a heated bird bath won’t just give them ready access to water for cleaning themselves and drinking - it will also serve to warm them up. 

In the winter, temperature regulation may become challenging because if the temperatures drop extremely low, water sources freeze. Birds often struggle to find an available water source in the winter, which leads to exhaustion and dehydration. Heated bird baths are good for birds because they not only supply them with fresh water, but allows them to source water in the winter. 

A heated bird bath provides a water source in the winter that never freezes over. This is extremely important and a massive help to birds in the area. 

The water in a heated bird bath should be slightly warm, not boiling hot. It should be warm enough to prevent it from freezing over, but not too hot that it will injure the bird. Are Heated Bird Baths Good Or Bad For Birds

Another pro is that since the water doesn’t freeze, you don’t have to worry about repeatedly going outside to add more water to keep it from freezing. Doing that could become quite time-consuming after a while. 

If you’re a fan of birdwatching, the good news is that you can still do this in the winter now with a heated bird bath. Due to limited water resources, you might even get more birds in the winter. 

Make sure you keep your heated bird bath where it is visible to birds flying above. They won’t be able to find it if it’s tucked away somewhere difficult to see. 

Cons of a Heated Bird Bath

Surprisingly there aren’t very many cons to having a heated bird bath. The heated aspect of the bird bath is not bad for the birds. As mentioned earlier, the water shouldn’t be too hot for the birds to the point where it could harm them. Heated bird baths are good for birds as long as the water is a good temperature. 

However, bacteria can grow in your bird bath regardless if it’s heated or not. If the bacteria gets too severe, it can also affect other birds. Diseases can spread to all other birds that use the same birdbath if one sick bird uses it.

Even in the winter months, it’s essential to maintain a proper cleaning schedule. You may have less motivation to go outside and clean the bird bath in freezing temperatures, but it is vital. Going too long between cleanings increases bacterial growth, even in the cold. 

One way to prevent this is to make sure you are correctly cleaning your bird bath routinely. Cleaning it and adding fresh water each time is an excellent way to keep bacteria from festering. 

Another disadvantage of any bird bath, whether heated or not, is if the water is too deep small birds can drown very quickly. So, if you’re going to have a heated bird bath (or a standard one), you need to ensure the water level isn’t too high. 

The best choice is a bath that is no deeper than 1-2 inches (2.54-5.08 cm), and you can also add in small stones and rocks that they can perch on while in the bird bath.

Cleaning Your Heated Bird Bath

Keeping your heated bird bath clean is extremely important. Once you know how to clean it, it’s relatively easy to maintain. Depending on the number of bird visitors you receive, you may have to clean it more often.

Here are the necessary steps to take when cleaning a bird bath:

1. The bird bath’s remaining water must be drained first. After that, you’ll need a pressure washer or water hose to eliminate loose dirt or bird droppings.
2. Fill the bird bath with water and add bleach at this time. Wild Yards recommends using a cup to a cup and a half of bleach for a regular-sized bird bath. Mix the bleach into the water and cover the bird bath entirely with a black trash bag. This is to keep birds from getting into the mixture.
3. Depending on the severity of the dirt build-up, you should let this sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the time is up, remove the trash bag and dump the bleach water. 
4. You must rinse the bird bath repeatedly until no more bleach is present. Doing this ensures that all chemicals have been removed and that it is safe for birds. Dry it thoroughly before refilling it to ensure all the bleach is removed.
5. Refill the bird bath with clean water, and you’re all done!

It’s essential to wear gloves and be careful when cleaning your bird bath. There may be contagious bacteria in bird droppings that might be toxic to humans.

How To Attract Birds to Your Heated Bird Bath

Heated bird baths are good for birds, so if you want to make your heated bird bath more noticeable to birds flying by, you can do a few things. You can buy products that turn your bird bath into a fountain or a mister. 

Moving water catches a bird’s eye when flying by attracting more birds to your bird bath. In the winter months, it’s an excellent idea to have a fountain-like structure in which the water is constantly flowing, since this prevents the water from freezing.

Additionally, you should move your heated bird bath to an area that can be clearly seen by birds flying overhead. If you place the bath near a tree, don’t place it underneath heavy branches. Instead, try to install it in a visible area, such as in between low-hanging shrubs.

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Are Heated Bird Baths Good Or Bad For Birds
...Final Thoughts

Heated bird baths are good for birds. However, some problems can develop if the bird bath isn’t cared for properly. Heated bird baths provide a water source for birds in the winter when most other sources are frozen or too cold. 

A water source is crucial to a bird’s health for many reasons. Make sure your heated bird bath is regularly cleaned because if it’s not, bacteria can fester and make the birds sick. 

If you want to draw more attention to your heated bird bath, then you can buy products that turn your bath into a fountain or mister.

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Hi! I'm Richard Worden, the author and founder of We Know Birds.

Over 20 years ago I developed a keen interest in birds and birdwatching, and it has been my passion ever since. I am committed to spreading useful knowledge about birds to others so we might all enjoy them to the fullest.

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