Build a Bird Bath

K I D · C O N N E C T I O N


		This One Is For The Birds


Splash! Ruffle! Splash! Have you ever watched a bird take a bath? It dips in, fluffs itself up, shakes all over, flaps its wings, and dips and flaps some more. And it looks like it's having the greatest time. It probably is! That's why there are so many birds in yards with birdbaths. Setting up a bath or feeder is a great way to bring birds into your yard. And when you do, you not only get to enjoy the birds, you also get to help the Earth.

Did You Know? Birds are always hungry! They use up so much energy that they need to eat all the time. Sometimes birds eat four-fifths of their own weight in one day! What does that mean? Let's say you weigh 100 pounds. If you were a bird, you would have to eat 80 pounds of food between the time you wake up in the morning and the time you go to sleep at night! You can't do that! But birds can.



Birds need water to drink (especially in summer) and to keep clean. They can have anywhere from 940 to 25,000 feathers, so they have a lot of washing to do.

What You Can Do:

Make a bird feeder for peanuts. Take a bunch of unsalted peanuts still in their shells, and tie them or a piece of yarn or string. Hang the string from branches; birds will find it.

Another nutty idea: spread peanut butter all over a pine cone. Be sure to fill up all the little spaces.

Then hang the pine cone outside. Lots of birds like peanut butter.

Also, hang some orange peels from trees -- a great bird snack!

Make a Birdbath:

Find a big ceramic or plastic saucer like the kind under potted plants. Don't use metal -- it will get too hot in the summer and freeze in the winter. There should be an edge around the saucer for the birds to rest on.

The water doesn't have to be too deep; about two inches is perfect. Keep the bath filled with water.

If there are any cats in the neighborhood, you might need to put the birdbath up high or hang it from a tree.

NOTE: For more information on bird feeding and birdbaths, write to:

The National Audubon Society
801 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20003

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