Photo by Dan Wayman on Unsplash

Birdbaths have become quite popular these days because they look magnificent and because of how they attract birds.

Bird watchers, in particular, would do anything to attract the bird, but some have stated that the effect of birdbath on these animals is nothing but a myth. But if you knew the purpose of the bird bath fountain to them, you would have disagreed.

Why are birds fascinated with them in the first place?

Birds are naturally drawn to water, which we know is abundant in the wild. Yet, it's crucial to remember that certain conditions like winter could prevent your tiny friends from having access to water.

It's for drinking.

Most birds such as bluebirds migrate from one place to another during a specific season, and flying continuously for hours with no rest could be tiring. And even if they're not migrating, hunting for their next meal is also a daunting task.

Water helps them hydrate and quench their thirst, which gives them enough energy to continue their hunt, especially if the weather is too hot.

Did you know that birds have no sweat glands? This means that they need less water compared to other mammals. Still, smaller birds would have to drink at least twice a day to replenish their lost moisture.

They get their liquid from their food, and the amount of water they would have to drink depends on their diet.

Insectivorous birds, for example, mostly get their liquid from their victims, so they don't need to drink regularly. But since seed-eating birds have a dry diet, they are in constant need to sip water.

It's for their bath time.

They may live in the wild, but birds are generally clean creatures. Birdbath fountains give them enough water to perform their daily bath rituals.

In winter times, this need is aggravated since they would have to maintain their feather's appearance.

Birds use water to remove the dirt that has been stuck. And as they preen, they rearranged the feathers by throwing out some of the loose feathers and spreading the produced oil from their preen gland. This is their way to remain waterproof during rainy days and trap heat to keep them warm throughout the cold night.

How do I properly care for my birdbath fountain?

There are various ways to keep the cleanliness of your birdbath, and we're glad you're taking the initiative since dirty waters could bring illnesses to birds.

So, as a gift, we've compiled some of our favorite tips for maintaining birdbaths.

Tip #1: Consistency is your best shot

Regularly replacing your bird bath's water could make a difference because you're able to provide fresh water to your tiny friends without any irritating debris like dust, fallen leaves, bird poops, and even small stones.

It prevents algae from thriving, too. So make sure that you're always prepared to scrub the sides and bottoms thoroughly to avoid missing a spot.

Tip #2: Avoid chemicals

Using chemicals makes cleaning more manageable, but it poses a threat to the health of the birds who visit you. We suggest looking into organic alternatives for safety reasons, such as Ark-Klens and Enviroclens. But if you can't find any, we just hope that you rinse the birdbath at least twice.

Tip #3: Keep it ice-free

In freezing conditions, birds must have access to running water, so help them out by following these three methods:

• Once you notice that there is a layer of ice on your birdbath, you only have to pour hot water over it to melt the ice
• You could use a Solar Sipper, where its primary purpose is to prevent water from freezing. The best part about it is it's powered through solar energy!
• Get your polythene sheet and line it with your birdbath, which you could use later on to live the ice once the water has frozen