Drinkingbird.eu
~ Everything you want to know about drinking birds ~
About this web site
This site shows pictures of a collection of vintage and recent types of drinking birds. There is a wide variaty of names: drinking bird, happy bird, bobble bird, dippy duck etc. All of them and many more are shown in the image gallery. Also you can see a variation of the drinking bird: Sunny Bird.You can find an explanation how this heat engine works.
Hints about precautions, usage and maintenance are given and there are links to other interesting sites.
The drinking bird was invented by Miles Sullivan, engineer at Bells Laboraties. The US patent was filed on 16 June 1946.
In the 1940's and 1950's different types of drinking birds were made in the USA and in the 60's various Japanese types became very popular.
About drinking birds
"Once he starts drinking he won't stop". This text you can see on most of the boxes of drinking birds.
A drinking bird is not a perpetual motion machine as it may look like, but in fact it's a heat engine that uses energy from the environment
and transforms it into motion energy.
From many drinking birds the liquid inside the bird is harmfull and therfor this science toy is not a toy for children!
Some new type of drinking birds (rocking stork) contain a safe liquid.
Besides an nice and amazing gadget at home, the drinking bird is an excellent educational toy to show thermodynamic behavior.