Do you provide a winter water source for your birds? In winter, when streams, ponds, rivers and even rain puddles freeze, it can be very hard for birds to find the water they need to drink and keep their feathers clean.

Most songbirds need to drink water every day as they lose water daily through droppings, and they would quickly become dehydrated without replenishment. Our backyard songbirds also need water to bathe. In winter keeping feathers clean is vital to a bird’s ability to stay warm.

You no doubt have noticed how fluffed up our birds get when the temperature drops. That’s because they are fluffing up their feathers to help insulate against the cold by adding layers of air around their bodies. To maintain these layers, a bird’s feathers must be clean and healthy. Just a fraction of an inch of this insulation can help birds maintain their body temperature at 100 degrees, or more even in frigid temperatures. A Cardinal’s normal body temperature is about 106 degrees and a Chickadee’s is around 108 degrees. 

Adding a heated birdbath to your backyard feeding station can really help birds survive the winter months. If you already have an unheated birdbath and would like to keep it ice-free all winter, a birdbath de-icer will do the trick. (Both heated birdbaths and de-icers require an outdoor extension cord and electrical outlet.)

Here at the store we sell a generous-size, 20-inch heated birdbath (see photo) that you can either mount to a deck or sit in one of our birdbath stands. We also carry a decorative birdbath de-icer that is finished to resemble a flat rock.

You can shop our heated birdbath and birdbath de-icer in-store or call us at 978-443-1739 for curbside pickup or delivery.