• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

HereBird.com | Pet Bird Care, Advice, Reviews & How-To Guides

Your ultimate resource for everything pet bird related! Expert information, tutorials and product reviews!

  • About  
    • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Editorial Policy
    • How We Review
    • Customer Service
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures
    • Contact
  • Cages  
    • Bird Cages
    • Aviaries & Enclosures
    • Plans for Building An Aviary
    • Other Topics
  • Accessories
  • Species
  • Health
  • Food
  • Training

HereBird is reader-supported. If you buy through links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. Learn more

Home  >  Health

Keeping Overheated Birds Cool in Hot Summer Temperatures

hot-birds-cool
Even if you take all possible precautions to keep your bird comfortable, unforeseen circumstances can cause your pet to overheat. In extreme cases, your bird could suffer from heat stress which can lead to heat stroke. Your bird can lose consciousness and even die when the temperature exceeds their comfort zone. Here’s what to do if you run into this problem.

Table of Contents -->

  • 7 Ways to Keep Pet Birds Cool
    • 1. Bird Cooling Fans
    • 2. Bird Baths
    • 3. Bird Misters
    • 4. Provide Shade
    • 5. Move the Bird Cage
    • 6. Thermostats
    • 7. HEPA Systems
  • Bird Body Temperature
  • How Do Birds Keep Cool
    • A. Do birds pant?
    • B. Wing stretching?
    • C. Bird mouth open?
    • D. Do birds sweat?
  • Why Would My Bird Overheat?
  • Related Posts

7 Ways to Keep Pet Birds Cool in Hot Weather

Birds rely on the insulation afforded by their feathers to regulate their temperature. They keep their wings close to the body to stay warm and spread them to keep cool. They also lose heat through their unfeathered body parts, in particular, their legs and feet. Overweight birds are more prone to heat stress, so keep your bird trim and healthy.

If your bird is showing signs of being overheated, you should take corrective action swiftly to avoid the problem getting any worse. You do, however, need to be careful not to cool the bird down too quickly as this can send them into shock or lead to internal organ damage. Some solutions on how to help birds in hot weather include:

1. Bird Cooling Fans

Lasko Portable Electric 42' Oscillating Tower... Check Price

A cooling tower that is set on a low level will provide a soft soothing breeze for your birds – ideal for indoor birds.

2. Bird Baths

Lixit Quick Lock Bird Cage Bath for... Check Price

A bird bath is another solution that your bird can use to keep itself cool. Just ensure you change the water daily.

3. Bird Misters

Outdoor Automatic Bird Mister

AZCOOLMIST Wild Bird Micro Mister Check Price

Indoor Handheld Bird Mister

COREGEAR Classic Mister USA Misters 1.5 Liter... Check Price

Perfect for cooling down birds that are swelting in the heat. Bird aviary misters are usually used outdoors but the manual handheld ones also gets used inside as well.

4. Provide Shade

sunlight

Ensure your bird is not in the direct sun, especially if it is kept outdoors.

5. Move the Bird Cage

Move the bird to a cooler, quieter place in your home, away from sunlight and any sources of stress such as other family pets.

6. Use Thermostats and Heat Controllers

Honeywell Home RTH6360D1002 5-2 Day... Check Price

Thermostats are used for keeping your an eye on the room temperature of your birds and can be set to turn heaters and coolers on and off.

7. Consider HEPA Air Filtration Systems

Avari 600 Tabletop Personal Air Purifier with... Check Price

The premium and super high end solution that will not only control room temperature but will also filter the air and thus prevent bird dander and dust. Choose this option if you have a serious dander problem or are looking for the best solution.

The video above is a short example of a budgie suffering from minor heat stress and is agitating and panting heavily.

Bird Body Temperature

On average, bird’s have higher body temperatures than compared with humans – around 105 Fahrenheit or 40 Celsius. Birds do get hot, just like other animals and because they are very active creatures, temperature regulation is very important for these birds. Birds can die from being overheated and lack of water, so it’s important that pet bird owners keep an eye on the temperature during a heat wave or in hot climates.

How Do Birds Keep Cool in Hot Weather?

Birds will employ a number of different strategies for keeping their bodies cool.

A. Do birds pant?

Panting by the bird is the most obvious sign that a bird is overheated and needs to cool down. The faster the panting, the more the bird is overheated and needs to cool down.

B. Wing stretching?

A bird will hold its wings away from its body to provide more surface area for air to reduce its temperature.

C. Bird mouth open?

When a bird keeps its mouth open, it allows a larger flow of air into the lungs and this helps to regulate its temperature.

D. Do birds sweat?

No. This is the one method that birds will not use to cool themselves since birds have not evolved sweat glands to keep themselves cool.

Why Would My Bird Overheat?

Wild birds always have some exposure to air movement which can help them cool down. Some scenarios that can cause your pet bird to overheat are given by peteducation.com. They are:

  • Power failure in warm weather that halts your air-conditioning.
  • Wrapping your bird in a towel for restraint for too long a period of time.
  • Having your bird in an enclosed vehicle where the heat is rising.
  • Forgetting to close a blind allowing the sun to stream in through the window on your bird’s cage.
  • Aviary birds living outside dealing with an uncommonly long spell of hot weather or excessive direct sunlight.

At what temperature do you normally keep your birds at?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Related Posts

  • Bird Heaters and Warmers
  • Bird Baths

References:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/030096299190122S
https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Temperature_Regulation.html

Post Updated: 2019-08-02

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shan says

    December 25, 2017 at 11:30 am

    You share very nice tips and also explain the sign of bird overheated. Thanks for sharing such a useful details.

    • Jack Taylor says

      December 26, 2017 at 12:42 pm

      No problem Shan. It’s always a good idea to get your pet bird cooling equipment ready ahead of time before the summer heat waves hit.

About HereBird Team

At HereBird.com, our goal is to help people to become better bird owners. Each content piece is authored by several people including professionals, avian experts & everyday pet owners. Find out more about us and what we do using the links below:

About · Our Team · Editorial Policy · How We Review · FAQ · Disclosures · Contact

Primary Sidebar

Health

Bird Insurance

Problems

  • Parrot Diseases
  • Bird Injuries
  • Bird Allergies

Feathers

  • Bird Molting
  • Feather Plucking
  • Bird Preening
  • Clipping Bird Wings
  • Feather Stress Bars
  • Pin Feathers/Blood Feathers

Breeding

  • Pet Bird Breeding
  • Parrot Egg Laying

Bird Parasites

  • Bird Fleas
  • Feather Mites
  • Feather Lice
  • Worms in Birds

Other

Bird/Parrot Anatomy
Parrots Foot
Beak Trimming
Bird Dander and Dust
Parrot Poop
How Do Birds Sleep?
Parrot Sounds and Noises
Keeping Overheated Birds Cool
Microchipping Pet Birds
CBD Oil for Parrots

Topics

CAGES

ACCESSORIES

SPECIES

HEALTH

FOOD

TRAINING

Our #1 Bird Cage Recommendation


Prevue 3151 Wrought Iron Bird Cage
(with play stand and seed catcher)

LEARN MORE

Footer

Disclosure

As an Amazon Associate Herebird.com earns from qualifying purchases. HereBird.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
HereBird.com is also involved in various other affiliate programs, so when someone buys a product on a site we link to, we may receive a commission.

Connect

     

About · Our Team · Editorial Policy · How We Review · Customer Service · FAQ · Privacy Policy · Disclosures · Contact

Copyright © 2023 · HereBird.com All Rights Reserved · Log in