Q: If I put water out for the birds in winter won’t they freeze?

Birds need water year round and will drink and bath in open water in a heated bird bath during the winter. This serves several purposes. First, they benefit from a dependable source of water in your yard as it saves them time and energy not having to search for natural sources. If they can’t find open water they will eat snow, which requires energy to melt. Second, bathing helps keep their feathers clean and more effective in insulating them in our cold winters. On extremely cold winter nights, a bird can lose up to 10% of its body weight overnight to keep warm. In winter anything a bird can do to conserve energy helps them survive. It’s also very entertaining to watch birds in a bird bath!