The bird bath is one of the great luxuries that birds indulge in. Here's all you need to know about the bird bath.
Why do birds use a bird bath?
Birds use a bird bath for the same reason that humans soak in a bathtub full of bubbles - they want to get clean! However, your idea of a bath is probably completely different than a bird's. Birds have a lot of oil on their plumage and sometimes when they get too much oil on their feathers, which causes their feathers to become matted, they'll cover themselves in dust. This absorbs some of the oil and frees up their feathers. So they give themselves dust baths, but, they also need water-based baths. Depending on the species of bird, the water bath might actually come before the dust bath. Birds are kind of like dogs in that sense. As soon as they get clean, they roll around in the mud! Birds don't really roll around in it. They kind of flutter around to stir up the dirt so they can toss it on their feathers.
Hygiene is not the only reasons a bird will use a bird bath. Birds sometimes have a difficult time finding a good water sources, especially in the winter when many of their water sources are frozen over. Bird baths are usually higher than ground level and often in places that are out of a predator's reach.
How do birds use a bird bath?
Birds use the bird bath differently. Some birds take baths all the time and others are little more measured about how frequently they take a bath. It really depends on the bird. Usually you can tell if a bird is using the bird bath as a bath by its movements.
Small birds that have weak feet, such as swallows, dip into the bird bath from mid-flight. These birds spend the majority of their time flying, so a mid-flight bath is a necessity. Because they have weak feet, they dip their abdomen in the water, using their tail to splash the water over the rest of their body and then repeat the process.
Larger birds that have stronger feet will actually wade in the water because their feet are actually capable of holding them up while they stand. A wading bird will usually raise its wings while it's in the water to stir up the water and splash it on its body. They'll then lift their wings so the water can get under what would be the equivalent of a bird arm pit, and tidy up that area. Both large and small birds use the bird bath.
