A bird bath (or birdbath) is an artificial

puddle A puddle is a small accumulation of liquid, usually water, on a surface. It can form either by pooling in a depression on the surface, or by surface tension upon a flat surface. A puddle is generally shallow enough to walk through, and too sma ...

or small shallow pond, created with a water-filled basin, in which birds may drink, bathe, and cool themselves. A bird bath can be a

garden ornament A garden ornament is an item used for garden, landscape, and park enhancement and decoration. Garden ornaments include: * bench *bird baths * bird feeders * birdhouses *columns – cast stone *fire basket * flower box ** window box *fountains ...

, small

reflecting pool A reflecting pool, also called a reflection pool, is a water feature found in gardens, parks, and memorial sites. It usually consists of a shallow pool of water, undisturbed by fountain jets, for a reflective surface. Design Reflecting pools are ...

, outdoor sculpture, and also can be a part of creating a vital

wildlife garden A wildlife garden (or wild garden) is an environment created by a gardener that serves as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater to native and local plants, birds, amphibian ...

. A bird bath is an attraction for many different species of birds to visit

gardens A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

, especially during the summer and

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

periods. Bird baths that provide a reliable source of water year round add to the popularity and "micro-habitat" support. Bird baths can be pre-made basins on

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

s and columns or hang from leaves and trees, or be carved out depressions in

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

s and

boulders In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...

. Requirements for a bird bath should include the following; a shallow gradually deepening basin; open surroundings to minimize cats' stalking; clean and renewed-refilled water; and cleaning to avoid contamination and mosquitoes. Two inches of

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

in the center is sufficient for most backyard birds, because they do not submerge their bodies, only dipping their

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

s to splash water on their backs. Deeper or wide basins can have "perch islands" in the water, which can also help discourage feline

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

s.Sally Roth (1998). ''Attracting Birds to Your Backyard: A Rodale Organic Gardening Book'', p. 18. Rodale Press Inc., Emmaus PA, . Elevation on a pedestal is a common safety measure, providing a clear area around the bird bath that is free of hiding locations for predators. A

bird feeder A birdfeeder, bird table, or tray feeder are devices placed outdoors to supply bird food to birds (bird feeding). The success of a bird feeder in attracting birds depends upon its placement and the kinds of foods offered, as different species h ...

can complement a bird bath to encourage birds to linger and return. The early bird baths were simple depressions in the ground. The first purpose built bird bath was developed by UK garden design company, Abrahm Pulman & Sons in the 1830s.

Design and construction

The traditional bird bath is made of molded

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

or glazed

terra cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

formed in two pieces: the bowl and the pedestal. The bowl has an indentation or socket in the base which allows it to fit on the pedestal. The pedestal is typically about one meter tall. Both bowl and pedestal can be clean or decorated with

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

. Bowls can be pure curved geometry, or have motifs of a shell or pseudo-rocky

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

. The pedestal can also be a simple

silhouette A silhouette ( , ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhou ...

or incorporate decorations. Birds seem unconcerned with the aesthetics, with even a shallow plate, pie-tin, or

below a slowly dripping water outlet used. Bird baths can be made with other types of materials, including glass, metals (e.g.,

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

), plastics, mosaic tiles,

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

, or any other material that can be outdoors and hold water. In natural landscape gardens rocks and boulders with natural or stonemason carved basins can fit in unobtrusively. Some bird baths use a recirculating pump as part of a

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

water feature In landscape architecture and garden design, a water feature is one or more items from a range of fountains, jeux d'eau, pools, ponds, rills, artificial waterfalls, and streams. Before the 18th century they were usually powered by gravity, ...

, and can include filters, a

float valve A ballcock (also balltap or float valve) is a mechanism or machine for filling water tanks, such as those found in flush toilets, while avoiding overflow and (in the event of low water pressure) backflow. The modern ballcock was invented by J ...

-water connection for automatic refilling, or a

drip irrigation Drip irrigation or trickle irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface. ...

emitter aimed into the bowl. Some use a

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

ed pump, floating or submerged, to recirculate the water. Birds are attracted to the sight and sound of running water, with integrated or nearby fountains an important element to bring birds to the garden.

Bird habitat

Perch and view needs

Two titmice in the bird bath (7274236008)

An important feature of a bird bath, which should be considered when designing one, is a place to perch. The bath should also be shallow enough to avoid the risk of birds drowning. A depth of 2" is right for most species. This requirement may be fulfilled by making the bowl shallow enough to allow birds to perch ''in'' the water. For deeper bowls, stones, gravel or rocks can be placed in the center to give birds a place to perch. Objects placed in the bird bath bowl should have a texture that makes it easy for birds' talons to hold.

Safe refuge needs

Consideration should also be made to the issue of house cats and other

s, by placing the bird bath in a location where birds can see the area around it, and where there are no hiding places for predators. Birds cannot fly well when their feathers are wet; two feet of open space on all sides of the bird bath allows birds to see danger coming with enough time to escape. If the bowl is too deep, some birds will be afraid to enter the bath, staying at the edge and using it for drinking water only, being unable to see beyond the edge if entering the water, or unwilling to enter water that is too deep for their safety. Birds lacking binocular vision have poor depth perception, and can find a bird bath off-putting if they are unable to judge the water's depth. Leaning a stick or flat rock against the bird bath rim as a ramp to allow them gradual access into the water may allay their fear.

Plants

Including

native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...

s, and

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

s, that supply

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

, acorns,

nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s, nectar, and other foods, and also bird nest building materials encourages the health and new generations of birds. These qualities can also increase the visible population to enjoy in a garden. Using

companion planting Companion planting in gardening and agriculture is the planting of different crops in proximity for any of a number of different reasons, including pest control, pollination, providing habitat for beneficial insects, maximizing use of space, a ...

and the birds'

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

cuisine habits is a traditional method for pest control in an

organic garden The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to organic gardening and farming: Organic farming – alternative agricultural system that relies on fertilizers of organic origin such as compost, manure, green manure, ...

, and any landscape. Taller shrubs and

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s nearby allow short and safe " commutes" to the bird bath. The bird bath will attract more birds if placed where a frightened bird can fly up easily to an overhanging limb or resting place if disturbed or attacked.

Larger birds

Larger birds, such as the Canada goose, also enjoy baths. They may be accommodated well by large agricultural sprinklers in a field of stubble. Providing such a place for

migratory bird Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting b ...

s, especially in urban and suburban areas devoid of wetlands is an excellent way of encouraging them to frequent an area. As wetlands become more scarce, steps such as these can be important

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

practices.

Maintenance

A bird bath requires regular maintenance. There are a variety of methods and substances that can be used to clean a bird bath, including small quantities of bleach, oregano or olive oil, or commercially available, non-toxic cleaning products. Maintenance for some bird baths may be as simple as a daily quick wash and refill, but it will depend on the bird bath materials. This is important because of the possible adverse health effects of birds drinking dirty water, or water which may have become fouled with excrement,

mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...

larvae, algae, or

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

. Fresh water is important. Concrete bird baths tend to become mossy and, therefore, slippery—requiring an occasional scrubbing out with a stiff brush. Plastic or resin bird baths may need to be drained, wiped down with a towel and refilled. Mosquitoes and mosquito larvae are the most serious potential health risk that can be caused by poor bird bath maintenance. To prevent mosquito larvae, change the bird bath water weekly to interrupt their 7–10 day breeding cycle, or use a water aerator to break up the still water surface that mosquitoes require to lay eggs. Commercial products that contain bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), which is lethal to mosquitoes but non-toxic for humans and wildlife, can also be used to control mosquitoes.

References

External links

Bird baths and birdwatching
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird Bath Birds in popular culture Birdwatching Bird feeding Garden features Garden ornaments Habitats Architectural elements