Water in Winter Following is a basic summary of how to easily provide open water for our feathered friends once cold weather arrives. Open water for birds to drink becomes very important when all natural water sources begin to freeze solid. While snow can be used as a source of drinking water, it must be melted. This consumes energy birds otherwise could use to stay warm. Birds face their most critical situation when it is so cold that all natural water sources have frozen over and there is no snow cover.
Birds bathe only infrequently when temperatures drop below freezing.
But they must have water for drinking. The easiest approach is to use either a bird bath with a built-in heater or a submersible heater. Focus on providing drinking water, remember that ice and water present together are healthy, place the bath or pond in a sunny location protected from north winds, and even when using a thermostatic heater, remember to unplug it when temperatures stay above freezing. Cleaning should be done just as at other times of the year. However, it's required less frequently when ice and water are present together as this is a natural refrigerator.