Drip, Drip, Drip

A look at how some birds choose to drink

Several homes in or near Portal in the Chiricahuas have set up their backyards for birdwatching. They have many, many seed feeders, suet cakes, hummingbird feeders, water sources and other supports to encourage nearby birds to stop by. At one of these lush backyards there were two water features on the ground for birds to drink from and bathe in, but there was also a slow drip feature. Quite a few birds chose to drink at that 'drip' rather than at the other birdbaths. It was interesting to watch how the birds used that drip fountain. Here, an Acorn Woodpecker gets set to drink.

And down it goes for a drop or two of water. This is a male Acorn Woodpecker. Both the male and female Acorns have red on their heads but the female has a patch of black between the red crown and the white forehead.

The male House Finch stopped by.

Most birds drink some water every day but they don't drink the way we mammals do. With a different anatomy and no cheeks or lips, they have a different method for drinking, as Birdnote tells us.

The lighting at that spot wasn't the best for photography, but I wanted to capture the birds' behavior. As this Cardinal comes in for a drink, its head is in bright sunlight and its body is in the shade.

And down he goes. Most birds drink by sipping and tilting. They scoop water into their beaks, then tilt their heads back allowing gravity to draw the water down their throats.

This isn't always a neat way of drinking, but it works for birds.

Mrs. Cardinal stopped by to quench her thirst.

Again, most, but not all, birds drink with the help of gravity. Birdnote shares some of the exceptions. A very handsome Hooded Oriole stopped by to drink.

After making sure there was nothing around to bother it, the Hooded Oriole dipped his head to drink.

Meanwhile, other birds were satisfied to drink from the water features on the ground below. It was all individual choice. In our desert, some birds can survive without drinking water as Birdnote shares. Still, in southern Arizona having water out for birds helps so many to survive.