Only use heated bird baths., Put just a few inches of water in the birdbath. Put some stones, or sticks in the birdbath for the birds to stand on. Keep the bath clean. Birds need water to drink in the winter, but don't want to get their feathers wet when it's freezing cold. Hope this helps.

I read somewhere that birds don’t like baths with a smooth inner surface (like glazed ceramic). They like something that they can grip with their claws (like terracota, concrete). I don’t know if this is true.

Thx. Good points. Have tried most everything—including making a little pondy waterfall—very shallow running water with wet rock around it. But I think the issue might be there is not enough ‘cover’ close by, although there are 50 foot tall pines within 30 feet and 8 foot yews around the waterfall. I guess that is not enough. I bought a heated dog bowl and put gravel and rocks in it and no birdies in that either. I wonder where they are getting their water....thx again.

I wonder if it is even true that birds like birdbaths at all!

The easiest way is to place a basin with heated water and replace it each time you notice any formation of ice.

On the other hand, if you don’t mind spending a few bucks on heaters, you can find one in hardware stores, bird feeder stores, or any electrical supply shops. Some birdbaths have built-in heaters but you can also purchase the heater separately. Just make sure to install it properly and plug it in a fault circuit interrupter to deter electric shock.

I see this is an old thread....I'm looking for a recommendation for a solar powered heated birdbath if anyone uses one. I have three bird baths all in one bed. It' under the edge of a large Maple. There are a few shrubs close by, there is a metal Shepherd's Hook nearby, There's a 4ft post and rail fence nearby. Western Arborvitae nearby. So they seem to have enough cover.

One birdbath is a shallow ceramic birdbath about waist high that small birds enjoy, but also robins will use any birdbath I put out. The other two for the winter, are simply large, deep plastic saucers for large pots that are on flat rocks on the ground. I fill the birdbaths with water from spring until I have to shut the outdoor water for the winter. I don't feed the birds but I would like to try to offer water all winter. The robins in spring and early summer are plentiful and they fight to jump in the birdbaths and take long baths, splashing all the water out. Of course, they do dig for worms, so they get dirty. Once in awhile a flock of starlings will come by in spring or fall, and they will fight over the birdbaths too.