# How does a drinking bird work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2000, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919 "2000-10-23T00:39:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shimmery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@shimmery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shimmery)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/1 "2000-10-23T00:39:00Z")
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) ---
**Author:** ![Carina42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Carina42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carina42)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/2 "2000-10-23T00:48:12Z")
Google found a ton of sites for “drinking bird”. ---
**Author:** ![Spider\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Spider\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spider_Woman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/3 "2000-10-23T00:48:46Z")
[http://www.altavista.com](http://www.altavista.com), and [this](http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?q=drinking+bird&kl=en&pg=q&Translate=on&search.x=34&search.y=14) is what my search turned up. Is this what you are looking for? ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/4 "2000-10-23T00:58:30Z")
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) > **[HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works!](https://www.howstuffworks.com/)** > > HowStuffWorks explains thousands of topics, ranging from the flu to black holes to conspiracy theories, with video and illustrations so you can learn how everything works. No better luck on Ask Jeeves. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/5 "2000-10-23T01:01:37Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Spider\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Spider\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spider_Woman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/6 "2000-10-23T01:11:07Z")
> [@](#): > > You Rock! -----😃 —////\\ Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![shimmery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@shimmery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shimmery)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/7 "2000-10-23T01:14:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Carina42 \* > \*\*Google found a ton of sites for “drinking bird”. \*\* 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?) ---
**Author:** ![shimmery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@shimmery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shimmery)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/8 "2000-10-23T01:17:43Z")
Thanks again, **Spider Woman** , I actually get it now! ---
**Author:** ![Spider\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Spider\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spider_Woman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/9 "2000-10-23T01:19:37Z")
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! -----🙂 —////\\ ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/10 "2000-10-23T01:41:48Z")
**How does a drinking bird work?** Pretty damn well after two Tom Collins. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/11 "2000-10-23T01:56:10Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![shimmery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@shimmery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shimmery)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-drinking-bird-work/37919/12 "2000-10-23T19:29:44Z")
**bizerta** , thank you so much! Did you get this explanation from an internet source?