The Thermodynamic Drinking bird
Manufacturer: various
This toy has been around for ages and it’s still as entertaining today as it was fifty years ago. I picked one up from a store selling science kits and got so interested in learning exactly how it works that I spent a couple hours late one night reading about the properties of thermodynamics, capillary action, the ideal gas law, Boyle’s Law and much more.
While understanding the physics behind the classic drinking bird can be a fairly in-depth process, it still can’t be beat as a child’s toy. Any kid under eight years old will think it’s pretty amazing. And it really is. One note of warning: if you have cats in your house they will be very interested as well. Mine would watch it intently until their curiosity got the best of them and they just had to go knock it over. While it’s durable enough to withstand toppling over, it is glass and if you drop it or the cat knocks it entirely off the counter, your little drinking bird won’t last very long.
Overall: a great learning toy - recommended.
I love this toy! I’ve still got the one I bought last year. He’s been sitting on my desk at work, going non-stop for over a month now. I have it drinking from one of those Styrofoam coffee cups (the small ones) and it’s the perfect height. All it takes is adding a little bit of water every couple of days to keep him happy. Very fun to watch.
I’ve also seen this called the “dippy” bird. I agree, it’s pretty fun to watch!