How does a drinking bird work?

Factual Questions
1

This is an extra-credit question for science class. I have looked at a lot of websites but I am unable to find an understandable explanation. Also, I need credible internet sources, so if you could provide them (unless you already know the answer and don’t even have to look it up), it would be really great. Thanks :o)

2

Google found a ton of sites for “drinking bird”.

3

http://www.altavista.com, and this is what my search turned up. Is this what you are looking for?

4

I know I’ve seen an explanation for this somewhere a while ago but just can’t remember where.

BTW, here’s a useful URL (where there are two hits for “drinking bird”, unfortunately not very helpful)

No better luck on Ask Jeeves.

5

You Rock!

Had I seen your post, I simply wouldn’t have bothered. I think our friend will have more than he ever wanted to know:D.

6

-----:smiley:
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Thanks!

7

I tried Google and I found a site that seemed to explain it in detail, but it had all these formulas and stuff that I didn’t get.
Thanks for the links, Spider Woman.
omni-not, yeah, I tried Ask Jeeves and got a bunch of things about birds, and drinking, but not drinking birds. And by the way, I’m not a he. (Don’t you think shimmery is kind of a feminine user name for a guy?)

8

Thanks again, Spider Woman, I actually get it now!

9

and I’ll bet that altavista search engine may come in handy in the future also. Maybe you could bookmark it or add it to your favorites. Good Luck!

-----:slight_smile:
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10

How does a drinking bird work?

Pretty damn well after two Tom Collins. :smiley:

11

The liquid (alcohol?) inside the bird vaporizes at room temperature. The exterior of the bird’s head is wet with water. The water (on the outside) evaporates and cools the vapor (on the inside) of the head. Some of the vapor condenses and the pressure drops in the head. Since the tube goes to the bottom of the body, the pressure in the body pushes the liquid up the tube. When the liquid gets high enough, the bird is out of balance and tips over. When the bottom of the tube is raised out of the liquid, the vapor in the bottom bubblers to the head to equalize the pressure and the whole cycle starts over.
If you remove the water, the bird will stop bobbing when the head dries.

12

bizerta, thank you so much! Did you get this explanation from an internet source?