Drinking Birds in a Pine Tree

This is a lively tabletop decoration with animated birds in a simulated pine tree.  The drinking birds are a type of heat engine--normally their heads go into a cup of water and the evaporative cooling creates a temperature difference between the body and head.  In this project, we warm the body with a resistor to create the temperature difference necessary for operation. The top bird has an LED on his hat--what would a tree be without a lighted topper?

CAUTION:  The resistors get very warm, children or pets should not touch them.  Actually, no body should touch them.  You probably don't want your cat or toddler grabbing the birds either.

Parts list:
Six drinking birds    scientificsonline.com
Six 3 watt, 12 ohm resistors   P12W-3BK-ND  digikey.com
Twelve volt, one amp power supply   T1027-P6P-ND  digikey.com
16 inch by 28 inch (1/2 inch thick) plywood
Two 1" x 4" x 12" boards
#22 stranded wire, about 10 feet (multiple colors would be nice)
Krylon green paint (3 oz. can will work)
#1216 battery
LED
Drill and bit that will fit in an 8 inch space (Craftsman 11576 Drill/Driver)

Step 1

Cut the plywood according to the template.