Bird watching is a wonderful hobby. There’s nothing quite as relaxing as viewing animals in nature, and it can be exciting to see a species for the first time or to catch sight of a bird that’s uncommon to your area. Smart bird feeders have emerged as a fun new home tech category over the last few years, and I’m here to help you navigate it. I’m not only a camera expert but also an avid birdwatcher, photographer, and the grandson of a renowned wildlife artist. You can say bird watching comes naturally to me. I’ve put all the most popular camera-equipped bird feeders to the test, and the Bird Buddy Smart Feeder Pro is my top pick for its impressive app support and picture quality. If you want a less expensive smart feeder or one that doubles as an outdoor security camera, read on for more top options.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
- 5MP stills and 2K video
- Wide or tight viewing angles
- Accurate species identification and filtering
- Subscription not required
- IP67 rating
- Easy to clean
- Slow-motion video reduces picture quality
- Solar roof doesn’t maintain continuous power
The Bird Buddy Smart Feeder Pro has the best camera quality of any smart feeder we’ve tested. Its 5MP Nature Cam Pro camera is made just for bird watching and records vertical stills and 2K30 videos that play well on social media and phone screens. It also includes accurate species identification and server-side image filtering that throws away bad snaps so you don’t have to sift through as much noise as with other feeders.
Birders who are willing to spend a little more on a feeder should find the Smart Feeder Pro worthwhile. Its starting price is on the high end for the category, but its superlative picture and video quality and curated approach to recording and sharing bird visits win us over. The Bird Buddy app includes a fully featured free tier plus a paid $5.99 monthly option for birders who want to unlock some advanced features.
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Bird Buddy Smart Feeder Pro Review
- Records 1080p video and 2MP stills
- Portrait lens captures close-up pictures
- App includes virtual bird book to save favorite clips
- Includes 30 days rolling and 5GB permanent cloud storage
- Mostly accurate species identification
- Available with solar power and lifetime subscription
- Multiple editions available to fit various budgets
- Picture quality falls shy of best in class
- Doesn’t come with proper pole mount
The Birdfy Feeder 2 Pro comes with a clever dual-lens camera that captures both wide and tight angles so you get a full view of the perch, plus a close-up of a visiting bird. Its motion-sensitive camera picks up every visitor and comes with a lifetime subscription to Birdfy’s species identification features. You may find yourself overwhelmed with notifications, but the companion app makes it simple to sort visitors by species and save your favorite bird snaps and videos to a virtual bird book. The Birdfy 2 camera also works out of the feeder, so you can use it as a critter cam or have it perform double duty as a security camera for monitoring your backyard. Birdfy sells the feeder for less with a single-lens camera, and serious birders can get the Duo version: It includes both the dual-lens Pro camera and the single-lens standard.
Get the Birdfy Feeder 2 Pro if you want to make sure that your feeder catches as many visitors as possible and you don’t mind sifting through to find the best pictures and videos. Its dual-lens camera is the real star: Its close-up view is tuned to get the sharpest focus on the perch and scans back and forth to get the best angle on birds as they move around. It should also be your feeder of choice if you already use the Birdfy app and other devices from the brand. The company has a full line, including nesting boxes, hummingbird feeders, and a bird bath, and they all use the same app.
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Birdfy Feeder 2 Pro Review
- Integrated camera with adjustable angle
- Keeps tab on neighborhood birds
- Sends alerts directly to your phone
- Solar panel keeps battery full
- Skip subscription fees with microSD support
- Species identification is wildly inconsistent
- Low bit rate 15fps video
- Subscription required for some features
- No solar roof option
The Birdkiss Smart Feeder uses the same camera as the Birdfy Feeder AI, so you won’t be able to tell a difference between the 2MP stills and 1080p 15fps video. The Birdkiss typically sells for fewer dollars and is a good option for birders on a budget. Its species identification feature is locked behind a paywall, however, but you can still see the past three days of activity and pop in for a live view without a subscription.
If you’re on the fence about getting a smart feeder and want one that delivers decent picture and video quality for $150 (or less on sale), the Birdkiss fits the bill. And if you want to add species identification and 60 days of storage, you can get a $4.49 monthly subscription whenever you feel like it.
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Birdkiss Smart Bird Feeder With Solar Panel Review
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Buying Guide: The Best Smart Bird Feeders for 2025
How Do Smart Feeders Work?
Smart bird feeders put a camera and Wi-Fi connectivity into a traditional backyard bird feeder. They use motion-sensitive cameras to catch visiting animals, send those visits to a server for analysis and species identification, and show you video and stills in an app. Feeders built around security cameras like the Birdfy AI and the FeatherSnap Scout send every visit to your phone, while the Bird Buddy is unique in that it filters out many snapshots with bad poses or poor exposure on the server side.
A red-bellied woodpecker captured by Bird Buddy Smart Feeder Pro (Credit: Bird Buddy/PCMag)
Do Smart Feeders Require a Subscription?
Some do, but most provide at least some features without monthly fees. It’s important to check and see what’s included with your feeder. For example, Birdfy feeders can be bought without a subscription, so you can pay by month or add one later if you are trying to cut up-front costs, or you can buy them bundled with a lifetime subscription to its AI bird detection. Some others, including the FeatherSnap Scout I reviewed earlier this year and the Kiwibit Beako that I’m currently testing, require a monthly or annual subscription to access most features.
Birdfy 2 smart feeder (Credit: Jim Fisher)
What Other Types of Bird Tech Are Available?
We’ve only tested seed feeders so far, but you can also get a hummingbird feeder with a camera. Birdfy makes a few, and Bird Buddy has one that uses the same Nature Cam Pro as the Smart Feeder Pro. I plan on reviewing some hummingbird feeders this summer, so be sure to check back to find out which ones I recommend.
Dedicated hummingbird feeders like the Netvue Birdfy dispense nectar instead of seed (Credit: Jim Fisher)
Birdfy also makes a smart birdhouse, the Nest Polygon, for bluebirds, wrens, and other cavity-nesting birds. It is made from bamboo and includes a solar-powered 1080p camera.
You can also get a smart bird bath. Birdfy is the only name brand with one available at this time, the Birdfy Bath Pro.
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More on Bird Tech
If you’re still looking for more about birds and the tech you need to watch them, check out our best photo tips for bird watchers and our guide to using Merlin, a free smartphone app that can identify birds by sight or sound.
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