How to Make a Heated Bird Bath

Keep your birdbath warm in winter so your feathered friends can find a drink when it's cold out.

Birds need water for consumption and bathing year-round, but it can be difficult for them to find during the often freezing winter months. You can heat your bird bath for pennies a day by installing a simple immersion heater designed specifically for bird baths. Immersion heaters come with various features, such as thermostats, so it is best to shop around to find the heater that best meets your needs and those of your bird friends. Heaters designed for bird baths can be used with all types of materials including ceramic, stone, concrete and plastic.

Things You'll Need

• Immersion heater
• Power source
• Outdoor-rated extension cord
• Thermometer

Instructions

1. Install the immersion heater according to the manufacturer's instructions.

2. Plug in your heater to an electrical outlet. Use an outdoor-rated extension cord to supply power if your bird bath is too far from an outlet for the cord.

3. Fill the bird bath with 40-to-50-degree-Fahrenheit water, the optimal water temperature for birds, to a depth of no more than 3 inches. Set your heater's thermostat (if it has one) to maintain this temperature.

4. Turn the heater on. Never run the heater if there is no water in the bird bath as this will damage the heater.

5. Bury the cord if you plan on heating the bird bath long-term. Contact your city's utility department and your gas company before digging to ensure there are no buried cables, water lines or other items you might disrupt.

Tips & Warnings

• Heated bird baths can be purchased at most home and garden stores or online and come in a variety of styles.

• Consider solar heating options if you want to heat your bird bath without increasing your carbon footprint. You can purchase solar heaters and solar equipped birdbaths online.

• Birds will only visit bird baths that are textured with a gradual slope due to risks associated with slipping.

• If you have an exceptionally large bird bath, check the limitations on the amount of space that the immersion heater can effectively heat prior to purchase.

• If you have animals or small children, look for a heater that will automatically turn off if it is not in water, if say, the cord gets tripped over.

• Change water weekly to avoid contamination and disease.

References

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: Ponds and Birdbaths
• Identify, Feed, Help and Attract Wild Birds: Bird Bath Heaters for Winter Use

Resources

• BirdBaths.com: Shop Solar and Heated Bird Baths
• DIY Renewable Energy: Making a Solar Powered Pump Birdbath