Small birds and water
Many people feed birds but a lot less people continuously provide them with clean water. Birds need clean water to drink and bathe in. Water is particularly important during the winter when the natural supply is frozen and during dry spells in the summer.
Water for birds increases the amount of visitors in the garden by 50%
Birds satisfy their need for water through their diet or by drinking. Many birds that feed on insects provide for their needs through their diet while birds feeding on seeds have a dry diet and therefore need to drink more. If you provide your birds with water you will increase the amount of visitors by 50%.
The birds need to drink at least twice a day
As birds have no sweat glands they need less water than mammals. However, they lose water by breathing and through their droppings. Most of the small birds need to drink at least twice a day to make up for their lost fluid.
Water is widely available for birds in the wild in the shape of shallow watercourses and puddles. Forest birds can drink water droplets that gather on leaves. Swallows and common swifts that spend their days in constant flight can swallow drops of water as they fly.
How do birds drink?
Most birds drink by dipping their beaks in the water and then tossing their heads back to swallow. Doves on the other hand have the ability to dip their beaks and drink continuously.
Read more about the Multiholk from Wildlife Garden »
Read more about the Multiholk from Wildlife Garden - bird bath made of stoneware » |
