Are plastic bird baths safe for birds
It may feel like of all bird bath material, bird baths made in plastic resin must at least cause a few health issues with wild birds, yet you'll be surprised to find it doesn't.
Plastic bird baths are safe for wild birds, as these hard wearing bird baths can withstand a lot of wear and tear, yet continue to last well outdoors. Concern about plastic, dye or coloring bleeding in to the water is false, while microplastics will end up in the water, it can be avoided by changing it regularly.
Come to think about it I don't ever recall professionals or amateur backyard birders being concerned about the safety surrounding plastic bird baths before.
In fact, I don't believe this is an issue that will cause any concern over the lifetime of a cheap, or far more superior plastic resin bird bath.
Let me say though I do believe microplastics will end up in the water and will be ingested by wild birds over time. However, I don't believe the quantity of microplastics produces enough in what must be a old, poor quality plastic bird bath and therefore, won't be an issue.
Bird baths will see visible signs of wear and tear when made in plastic, with discoloring, warping and/or with cracks forming.
Issues like this aren't exclusive to plastic bird bath, as metal bird baths can also become unsafe when its allowed to deteriorate with absolutely no care taken in the bird bath water quality - when it comes to algae, mold or bacteria developing.
None of these issues will cause a direct safety issue and can be avoided when cleaning and maintaining any bird bath regularly.
What is a safety issue that must be doubt with, is how lightweight plastic bird baths are, and therefore are prone to tipping over in the littlest of wind; thus it must be anchored to the ground or weighed down to avoid the bird bath being damaged when it falls or rocks side-to-side - which is how water continues to spill unless its stabilized.
While not paying attention to the instructions on a tin of paint, remember when you paint a plastic bird bath, the paint must be exterior based, and non-toxic to avoid paint - and NOT plastic in this case - bleeding in to the plastic bird bath water.
Safe to use plastic bird baths
Absolutely, when making use of a made in plastic bird bath in your yard, it will certainly be safe to use for as long as you use your bird bath in the yard.
In fact, it isn't reported at all that a plastic bird bath causes issues with wild birds health, or indeed in anyway it can effect the user - that is people who come in to contact with the plastic bird bath - which is the person responsible for looking after the bird bath.
What can happen in regards to plastic bird bath safety, is really indirect issues that comes with any bird bath use.
Of course you will have to keep the bird bath water clean by regularly changing it out, which will also keep the bird bath algae-free.
The hard wearing, durable plastic made to build bird baths in, are never really made in such so poor quality plastic, it ends up being ingested by wild birds - although microplastics will filter in to the water sooner or later.
Buy a plastic bird bath made by a reputable bird bath manufacturer or brand, to guarantee a high quality, made in plastic bird bath.
No bleeding into water
What you may believe to be an issue with a plastic bird bath, is if the plastic itself can actually bleed in to the water.
Well, NO, plastic itself can't form in to a liquid like substance after its been molding, thus there's no way it will run in to the bird bath water. Bird baths can soften under intense heat - which will unlikely be caused by the sun - thus its virtually impossible to see hard plastic turn to liquid plastic which results in it bleeding in to the bird bath water.
Indeed, after many years of use a plastic bird bath will see a lot of wear and tear, and where there's wear, this certainly doesn't mean this discoloration can somehow effect the bird bath water quality.
Bird baths are usually placed in the sun to guarantee they are found by a mix of wild birds, and therefore the sun's UV will eventually cause the cheaper to buy but still hard wearing plastic bird baths to change color, which is essentially caused by fading.
Bird baths are molded in plastic but first the plastic granules are mixed in dye to produce a range of bird baths available in different colors.
Coloring of the plastic bird bath again isn't going to bleed in to the water, and so there's little other ways the water can be contaminated by a made in plastic bird bath.
Ingesting plastic does NO harm
How else a plastic bird bath can get a bad reputation is how microplastics effects the bird bath water quality.
It must be said, any plastic device made to store water in will eventually see microplastics form, and end up mixing in with the water source. Which is why copper bird baths exist to avoid such issues - yet it really isn't a bother when it comes to bird baths.
You must of heard about microplastics by now, its when human plastic waste spills in to our oceans - or micoplastics travel through the air - and as a result the plastic trash will decompose which will lead to microplastics, which is very fine pieces of plastic.
Whales and other marine life end up feeding on this microplastics, which does effect their health in the long run.
Well, such issues are unheard with plastic bird baths which do deteriorate in an outdoor environment, though are unlikely to cause so much microplastics that it effects our common backyard birds, like it does with marine life.
Birds will ingest microplastics over their lifetime, just as people and the animal kingdom do, which isn't going to be an issue for the foreseeable future in regards to life in and around a plastic made bird bath.
Lightweight bird baths tip over
When it comes to bird bath water quality, of course wild birds pooping in a bird bath is an issue, which is why bird baths must be cleaned regularly.
What is often over looked with made in plastic bird baths in particular, is how they are prone to tipping over in the slightest bit of wind, or the occasional light gust.
Owning and operating a lightweight plastic bird bath then can cause an unexpected issue, with safety of wild birds still clear of serious problems occurring.
Plastic bird baths are lightweight, which refers to plastic bird baths on a stand/post in particularly, thus this top heavy bird bath with little base to keep it standing, is guaranteed to tip over unless its stabilized.
How you stabilize a lightweight plastic bird bath to stop it tipping over, would be to rely on anchoring it into the ground, or making it heavier.
As a result of making a bird bath heavier, you could indirectly make the plastic bird bath safer for wild birds. What you must do then is add pebbles and rocks in to the bird bath water, which will make it heavy.
Bonus of that is now wild birds can use the pebbles lining the bird bath as slip-free footing, whereas the rocks can be used as better placed, water positioned perches.
Conclude
I can say for certain plastic bird baths remain a reliable and cheap way to attract wild birds to your yard, with no safety issues getting in the way.
I understand you'll have reservations about plastic or the coloring/dye bleeding in to the bird bath water; well, it really isn't an issue and does not cause concern among ornithologists and associations like Audubon.
Wear and tear on a plastic bird bath is more prominent than a bird bath made in metal or concrete for sure, but that doesn't mean it becomes unsafe to use.
Sun will cause discoloration of a made in plastic bird bath, and unless you look after the bird bath well, it will roughen up as the plastic becomes rugged.
None of which will cause the bird bath water quality to drop, nor will it cause any additional harm to people.
Microplastics form as a result of the plastic deteriorating over many years, will end up in the water, but as you'll hopefully be changing out the bird bath regularly along with cleaning it often - such issues can easily be avoided if you kept up maintenance.
One indirect issue when it comes to plastic bird bath safety, is how prone plastic bird baths are to tipping over.
As a result birds are unlikely to be harmed as they avoid an unstable bird bath, but the bird bath can be damaged which will effect the quality of the water when cracks or crevices develop, where its impossible to remove algae or hard to reach mold.
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