As you’ll find out, when birds take a bath, their second goal is to get clean. Their first goal is to get as much water onto as many surfaces as possible. Birdie baths are cute and entertaining but they can be messy. Make sure you put the bathtub i.e. water holding receptacle in a place where electronics or valuable wood fixtures are not nearby. Laminate/faux wood and glass tables are great for this. Kitchen tables, sinks, anywhere that water won’t ruin a table or floor.
Birds will take a bath in anything yet sometimes nothing. We couldn’t get Herbie to take a bath in anything and we tried plastic, glass & ceramic bowls, shallow dishes, plates, bathtub shaped containers, glasses, cups, you name it. Finally one day, my wife is getting a Dixie cup for filling up anther bath apparatus with a bit more water and Herbie goes all Hellen Keller on the Dixie cup and realizes what a container full of water is for, making a Gallagher show type after math.
Splashmonster in a Dixie Cup