When you install a bird bath for the first time, you might expect various species to flock to your yard right away. However, it’s usually not that simple, as birds prefer baths with certain features. Follow these three tips to ensure your bird bath attracts as many visitors as possible. 

How to Attract Birds to Your Bird Bath

1. Keep the Water Moving

Like humans, birds prefer bathing in and drinking clean water. Stagnant water can easily get covered in algae and dirt, meaning it won’t attract many birds; instead, it will fill your yard with mosquitoes.

Fortunately, you can keep the water moving with a water dripper. Consisting of a thin metal tube, the device connects to a water spigot to give your bird bath a gentle drip.

Don’t want to deal with tubing? Try a water wiggler, a battery-powered device that agitates the water. Both devices not only help keep the water clean but also provide the natural sound of running water, which birds love. 

2. Keep It Shallow 

Most birds find deep water daunting, as they fear that they or their offspring will drown. Keep your visitors safe by maintaining a depth of two inches or less.

If your bath’s bowl is deeper than that, add some smooth rocks or pea gravel to make it shallower. Arrange the rocks or gravel so the water’s deeper in the center than it is at the edges; this way, the birds can slowly and safely navigate toward the deeper part. 

3. Don’t Let the Water Freeze 

When a bird bath’s water freezes, the birds no longer have a place to bathe and drink. That’s why many people choose heated bird baths, which feature integrated heaters that warm up the water during winter.

If you didn’t pick up a heated bath, don’t fret; you can keep the water warm with immersion heaters and de-icers. When connected to a nearby power source, these devices will keep your bird bath warm and free of ice. 

Enhance your bird bath with high-quality accessories from the Wild Bird Habitat Store. Based in Lincoln, NE, the award-winning store has offered water drippers, wigglers, heaters, and other bird bath accessories for more than 25 years. They also provide heated baths, houses, feeders, and birdseed. To learn more about their products, visit them online or call (402) 420-2553.