We all know the benefits of getting in touch with nature, and the great thing about having an outside space is that we don't have to go too far to enjoy it. Offering fresh water is a great way to encourage wildlife while keeping our feathered friends' thirst quenched and helping to loosen dirt and dampen their feathers prior to preening.
To help you find the bath that both fits your garden's style and successfully attracts birds, we've written this buying guide packed with tips and suggestions on everything from material to modern extras like solar lights. Whether you're after a heavy ceramic bath or a unique hanging design for a small space, you're sure to find a match among our list of the best bird baths on Amazon and John Lewis.
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
Image | 1 ![]() Kingfisher | 2 ![]() Discount Garden Statues | 3 ![]() Wildlife World | 4 ![]() Fallen Fruits | 5 ![]() Parkland | 6 ![]() GEEZY | 7 ![]() Fallen Fruits | 8 ![]() Eva Solo | 9 ![]() MUMTOP | 10 ![]() CRÓGA |
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Name | Ornamental Resin Bird Bath | Stone Cast Art Deco Garden Bird Bath | Nature Oasis Bird Bath | Bird Bath With Wall Bracket | 3-in-1 Bird Bath & Feeder With Solar Light and Planter | Cast Iron Hanging Bird Bath | Floral Esschert Design Bird Bath | Ceramic Hanging Bird Bath | Free-Standing Glass Bird Bath with Metal Stake | Deck Mounted Bird Bath |
Features | A Fabulous Bronze-Effect Bath That's Perfectly Practical | Handmade in the UK From Sturdy Stone | A Sustainable Option With a Pleasing Geometric Design | Delightfully Decorative Cast Iron at a Great Price Point | The Spa-Experience Bird Hotel That Has It All | A Hanging Bird Bath That's Built to Last | Visually Attractive and Functional Ornate Ceramic Bowl | The Perfect Minimalist Bath for Modern Gardens | A Stunning Glass Piece With Eye-Catching Flower Pattern | A Fantastic Way to Introduce Some Birdlife to Your Urban Home |
Price | £15.45 | £99.00 | £19.80 | £13.29 | £25.89 | £11.45 | £36.99 | £39.47 | £24.99 | £32.28 |
Support Method | Freestanding | Freestanding | Ground-level | Bracket | Freestanding | Hanging | Ground-level | Hanging | Freestanding - spike | Bracket |
Material | Resin | Stone | Recycled plastic, bamboo fibres | Cast iron | Resin | Cast iron | Ceramic | Ceramic bath, nylon cord | Glass, steel | Steel, silicone |
Colour | Blue or green | Stone | Stone | Dark brown | Blue, copper | Dark brown | Terracotta with a subtle green mottled colour | White, silver | Blue, white, light green (others available) | Terracotta, black |
Dimensions | 59 x 31.5 cm | 34 x 39 x 62 cm | 30 x 30 x 5.5 cm | 21.5 x 28 x 26 cm | 96 x 36 cm | 20.5 x 19 x 36.5 cm | 5.5 x 34 x 34 cm | Bath: 25 x 11 cm; cord: 100 cm | 33.3 x 33.2 x 12.9 cm | 32 x 29.4 x 17.7 cm |
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Most freestanding bird baths either have a built-in stand with a flat bottom, which keeps it nice and balanced, or a metal pole with a staked end. If going for the latter option, you'll need a lawn to drive the stake into, but otherwise, freestanding baths can be used in any garden whether you have grass or not!
Those with traditional tastes will love the classic stone pedestal options, but there's a version out there to suit everyone. However, those with small gardens should bear in mind that freestanding bird baths can be rather large. So, unless you don't mind it taking up a fair bit of space, it may be best to opt for something on the smaller side.
To attract more bird friends to your garden and make them stay, get a bird feeding station!
Ground-level bird baths are simple to explain – their support is the ground! They're often placed on the lawn but they can also be positioned on a patio, a wall, or anywhere with sufficient surface area to keep them steady.
As such, the primary advantage of ground-level bird baths is their versatility – the local hedgehogs will be grateful you provided them with drinking access, too! In addition, they're usually cheaper, as you're paying only for the bath itself, not for any additional support mechanism.
The main disadvantage, some might say, is that stand-less bird baths do not offer the same safety as those with elevation. However, to counter this, you can ensure that there are plenty of overhanging trees nearby for the birds to make a speedy exit.
Hanging baths are supported not from below but from above, usually strung from a solid surface such as a tree branch or a piece of garden furniture. They're a brilliant choice for smaller gardens with less available floor space to contend with and make for a charming garden ornament to boot!
Smaller birds will particularly appreciate this option, as the dishes are typically shallow and hold less water than their larger counterparts. You'll also be providing the birds with a far safer place to bathe, being elevated far off the ground and therefore out of the reach of any predators.
As drinking water should be replaced daily, those with limited mobility, or perhaps even time, might find these a little bit too much effort to continually remove, maintain, and re-hang, so bear this in mind when making your choice.
If you've been having problems with squirrels eating all your bird feed, a squirrel-proof bird feeder might help.
Bracket bird baths are designed to be attached to another surface. There are several varieties, but most commonly, they are either wall brackets fixed to your house exterior or another vertical surface, or brackets offering support via a clamp system such as a pole or railing.
The primary advantage of bracket bird baths is their convenience. If you're a city dweller without a garden, you likely have limited options for encouraging wildlife to your doorstep. But don't despair, as this is where bracket designs come into their own!
Whether you have nothing but a balcony or even just the wall outside of your apartment window, you'll still have the option to provide city birds with a well-earned and often hard-to-find source of fresh water.
Over time, dirt such as droppings, feathers and algae may appear in your bird bath. If you want to keep bacteria at bay, you'll need to ensure that you keep it spick and span. As well as replacing the water daily, this means regular cleaning.
How easy your bird bath is to clean will depend on the material it's made from. While smoother materials such as glass or metal can usually be returned to their former glory with just a wipe and some cleaning agents, rougher materials such as stone may require a little more elbow grease, particularly as they're prone to algae growth.
A stone design may look the part, but make sure you ask yourself before buying whether you're willing to put in the extra work with a scrubbing brush to ensure the local birdlife can enjoy a bath that is clean and safe. If not, you'll find it more convenient to opt for one made from a smoother material.
The primary purpose of a bird bath is to provide the local birds with a convenient place to bathe, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't consider a product that also appeals visually. Just as with furniture in your home, one of the best ways of ensuring that a bird bath looks great in your garden is to find one that complements it effectively.
If you have a classic English country garden, you might like to go for a traditional stone pedestal bath, or maybe crisp, clean ceramic or glass better suits your modern-looking outdoor area. You might want even to match the colour of your bird bath with the surrounding flowers – a blue bath to accentuate your beloved blue hydrangeas, perhaps?
For serious bird watchers, browse our best birdwatching binoculars to get a good view of your bird friends without startling them.
This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£15.45
Support Method | Freestanding |
---|---|
Material | Resin |
Colour | Blue or green |
Dimensions | 59 x 31.5 cm |
£99.00
Support Method | Freestanding |
---|---|
Material | Stone |
Colour | Stone |
Dimensions | 34 x 39 x 62 cm |
£19.80
Support Method | Ground-level |
---|---|
Material | Recycled plastic, bamboo fibres |
Colour | Stone |
Dimensions | 30 x 30 x 5.5 cm |
£13.29
Support Method | Bracket |
---|---|
Material | Cast iron |
Colour | Dark brown |
Dimensions | 21.5 x 28 x 26 cm |
£25.89
Support Method | Freestanding |
---|---|
Material | Resin |
Colour | Blue, copper |
Dimensions | 96 x 36 cm |
£11.45
Support Method | Hanging |
---|---|
Material | Cast iron |
Colour | Dark brown |
Dimensions | 20.5 x 19 x 36.5 cm |
£36.99
Support Method | Ground-level |
---|---|
Material | Ceramic |
Colour | Terracotta with a subtle green mottled colour |
Dimensions | 5.5 x 34 x 34 cm |
£39.47
Support Method | Hanging |
---|---|
Material | Ceramic bath, nylon cord |
Colour | White, silver |
Dimensions | Bath: 25 x 11 cm; cord: 100 cm |
£24.99
Support Method | Freestanding - spike |
---|---|
Material | Glass, steel |
Colour | Blue, white, light green (others available) |
Dimensions | 33.3 x 33.2 x 12.9 cm |
£32.28
Support Method | Bracket |
---|---|
Material | Steel, silicone |
Colour | Terracotta, black |
Dimensions | 32 x 29.4 x 17.7 cm |
Professional bird watchers from The National Audubon Society recommend cleaning your bird bath with a distilled white vinegar solution that you can easily make at home. Simply mix 9:1 ratio of water to distilled white vinegar. This solution will cause no harm to birds or other species.
You will often find mosquitoes in bird baths because it is a great source of still water which they require to lay eggs. To prevent this from happening, install a small water feature to agitate the water to deter them from doing so. As a bonus, the sound of splashing water will attract more birds.
If your tap water is safe to drink for humans, then it should be safe for birds too.
Written and researched by Emily Victoria Porsch
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