Odds are, you’ve probably seen one or know someone who has a smart bird feeder. They’re fairly recognizable from a distance with their clear housing, cameras, and solar panels, and perhaps a friend or family member has sent you a photo or video of a bright goldfinch or handsome woodpecker (guilty). The question at this point, then, is whether these things are really worth the $100-plus price tag. Are they actually durable? And what about the squirrel problem?

Lucky for you we’ve been testing the most popular smart bird feeder models, including Netvue’s original Birdfy feeder ($135) and Bird Buddy's Pro ($199), for over a year—in rain, snow, and heat, and in a yard with persistent squirrels. We’ve explored the apps and notification settings, examined the photo and video quality, noted which features are hidden behind a subscription paywall, and used Cornell Lab’s All About Birds—as well as Google Lens and our own local expertise—to verify the accuracy of AI identifications.

Best Overall

Netvue Birdfy Plastic Smart Bird Feeder

This cheery blue- or yellow-roofed feeder, from security company Netvue, is the first smart feeder former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano tested, back in 2022. At that time she gave it a 6/10 rating for its price and wonky AI. Both metrics have improved since then—I was impressed with the Birdfy app's AI when I tested the upgraded 2 Duo (see below), and this feeder is very often on sale for $200 or less. If you pay $20 more, you get a lifetime subscription of AI identification, which is a solid deal. Without it, it'll cost you $5 a month. This is the feeder I bought my elderly parents for Christmas during an Amazon Prime Day sale for its reliability, easy setup, and easy-to-navigate app, but like Medea, they weren't overly impressed with the AI. That said, I've tested feeders from multiple brands and, given the wide variability in lighting, shadows, and camera cleanliness, no AI is going to perform flawlessly. Unlike some brands’, Birdfy's AI still works more often than it doesn't.

Medea found that the 1080P wide-angle camera picks up a lot more movement from non-birds, so you may end up with a ton of notifications depending on where this is placed. If you're hoping for a bird-feeder/security-camera hybrid, though, this could be exactly what you want—especially since it offers color night vision. The IP65 plastic construction also makes this feeder durable and easier to clean, and the 50-ounce seed reservoir is far easier to fill than the Bird Buddy with its convenient flip-up top. Not all bundles come with a solar panel, but you can buy it separately. Unlike other feeders, the solar panel is not built in and will have to be mounted and connected separately with the included 9.8-foot charging cable. (The Birdfy comes with a pole mount, wall mount, and tree strap.)

Best Connectivity

Camojojo Hibird 4K HD Smart Bird Feeder With Camera

 If your router only allows for 5-GHz Wi-Fi, you may have been feeling you're missing out on the bird feeder camera craze, as most of the cameras run on the 2.4 GHz only band. Lucky for you, there's a feeder that not only runs on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz but is among the most feature-rich and reliable I've tested. It's got a sturdy body, 4K ultra-HD video, 1080p photos, an included 128-GB SD card, and no subscription needed. (Though that may change, Hibird's rep told me, as the brand's overhead with research and development is not sustainable.) It's easy to set up right out of the box, with clear instructions and a generous 1.5-liter feed container that's simple to fill. The AI is OK, somewhere between Amazon brands and more established companies like Bird Buddy and Birdfy. The app also isn't the snazziest, and the Chat GPT-like “Dr. Bird” question function is a bit corny, but everything else is extremely well done and the photo and video quality is truly top-tier.

Push alerts tell you what bird triggered the camera so you know if it's worth bothering to look, and there's a squirrel alert that sounds like my neighborhood elementary school bell, though it does nothing to deter the rodents. This is unfortunate, since the only mounting option is via bracket. (This feeder did suffer some chewing damage during the test period.) I also appreciate that the assembly screws have little handles on them, so you won't need a screwdriver. I tested the non-solar version, and even though the manual says the battery lasts six months, it lasted only two weeks in my tests, so I'd recommend the solar version if you don't want to deal with regular recharges.

Best-Looking

Netvue Birdfy Bamboo Smart Bird Feeder

 

Birdfy has a couple feeders we recommend. This bamboo one is the best looking, but it comes with a bit of upkeep. It doesn't have plastic parts like the rest of the feeders on this list (note that Birdfy also makes an all-metal feeder, though we haven't yet tested that one), and with its black and natural wood hues, it looks like it belongs in nature. An extendable perch lets multiple birds gather and investigate, and it has two large bins for either different types of seeds or the same. (The bins mingle in the tray at the bottom, however. The FeatherSnap feeder below uses separate bins and trays if you prefer that.)

Like most of the other feeders on this list, it can be mounted on a pole or tree or hung from a hook. It also comes with a solar panel that you can mount as well, so you never have to think about charging the camera battery.

As beautiful as the bamboo feeder is, it does require maintenance. Birdfy notes that the feeder has a waterproof rating of IP65 and that it's mold- and rot-resistant. However, the user manual states that it needs to be sealed. Via Reddit, Birdfy recommends sealing using a bird-safe wood sealer. I can't comment directly on its durability, since when I tested this feeder I used it on a table on my covered balcony. —Medea Giordano

Best Smart Hummingbird Feeder

 

Bird Buddy Pro Smart Solar Hummingbird Feeder

Bird Buddy is known for its user-friendliness and thoughtful app, and its new Pro Smart Hummingbird Feeder is no exception. Everything about its use is intuitive and easy. AI identification, 5-MP photos, HD 2K video with slo-mo—everything you need is included out of the box. A subscription is optional to unlock features like family sharing and a higher bitrate, but the feeder is perfectly usable without it. There’s also no auxiliary solar panel to worry about, as it’s built into the roof. Pairing with your phone is a cinch, integrating it into the Bird Buddy app with other feeders is a snap, and even filling it is no problem—unlike other hummingbird feeders that have weirdly cavernous capacities and/or need to be filled upside down, the Bird Buddy’s bottom screws off and holds a reasonable 1.75 cups of liquid. This is more important than you’d think, as Cornell Lab of Ornithology points out that the easier it is to clean a hummingbird feeder, the more likely you are to do it often and well.

It also comes with extra plastic flowers and a little brush to clean them with, and the app sends reminders as to when it's time to clean. As with the Bird Buddy Pro seed feeder, the sensor doesn’t always pick up every bird that visits, which can definitely be a bummer when you see something interesting out the window but it doesn’t show up in the app. Hopefully, this will be remedied on subsequent app updates.

Birdfy Nest Polygon Smart Birdhouse

It's simple to integrate with the easy-to-use Birdfy app, which is ready and waiting to assemble a bird's shareable “story,” from assembly of the nest to hatching to fledgling, and finally “the end,” when the nest is abandoned for the season. Note that the camera does emit an audible click whenever it's triggered by movement or the app, and the inside is a little larger than most birds would naturally gravitate to. Our test house didn't attract any visitors this year, but a project director for Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch said it should only be a matter of time.

Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro

The photos aren't nearly as impressive as the Birdfy Duo's or Camojojo Hibird's, and the camera, frustratingly, only captures a handful of the birds that visit. (The non-solar version is currently flagged as a frequently returned item on Amazon due to both this and charging issues, so I recommend the solar version.) But the app is a standout, with a user-friendly design and plenty of helpful alerts, like if a cat is detected nearby, or if it's time to clean the feeder. It also serves you insights gathered over time, like what time certain species seem to prefer to visit. (Finches apparently like to visit my yard at 10 am daily.) The Bird Buddy also “sleeps” at night and does not seem to emphasize capturing photos of people, so it wouldn't make a good choice to double as a security camera. Both Bird Buddys work with 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi only.

Installation options include a hanger or universal mount for a standard-size pole (not included). If you live in an area frequented by squirrels, I highly recommend abiding by Bird Buddy's “5-7-9” rule for siting your feeder: 5 feet off the ground, 7 feet away from trees or structures, and 9 feet of clearance above it. Squirrels haven't shown interest in chewing my Bird Buddy Pro, which is hanging from a shepherd's hook near a tree, but they will swing on it, spilling much of the seed.

One of the biggest downsides of both Bird Buddys is the infuriatingly small, hinged opening for filling the 4 cups' worth of seed. The feeder comes with its own spouted cup, but I have yet to fill the feeder without making an enormous mess. I also tested the 3-in-1 Nutrition Set ($39), which includes a screw-on tray that can variably become a water fountain, jelly dish, or fruit stake for fruit-loving species like orioles. I've used it as a jelly dish and water fountain and found that it blocks enough of the perch area that birds tend to shift out of camera view to avoid it. Overall, this upgrade over the original may be worth it if you plan to take advantage of some of the app's sharing features, especially Premium's ability to share your feeder livestream with others.

Camojojo Hibird DIY

If you have an existing bird feeder you like, or are interested in building your own and are just looking for a camera, you can do much worse than the Hibird DIY. It's compatible with both 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz Wi-Fi bands—a rarity for bird feeder cameras—and the cute green owl face streams the same 4K HD video and 1080p pics as the bigger Hibird feeder, above. No subscription is needed, though a Hibird rep says that may change in the future. There's an auxiliary solar panel included for charging, and you can mount it via its ¼-inch nut on the included bendable arm and bracket, or jury-rig a custom solution. It pairs seamlessly with the Hibird app, with access to AI (which is just OK), livestreaming, and the Dr. Bird Chat GPT-like feature, where you can ask bird-related questions. (The answers are corny and not as granular as they could be, but it still could be useful for some.)

Sehmua Bird Feeder With Camera

From the same makers as the Harymor bird feeder, above, the Sehmua is nearly identical to the Harymor, but without the built-in solar roof. The panel it comes with needs to be mounted separately. I was especially amused by the box it arrived in, which features a hummingbird. (This is, of course, a seed feeder.) Unlike other feeders that also require an auxiliary solar panel, the Sehmua has a weird USB-C dongle that hangs off the back; it’s not removable, and it’s used for charging the camera as well. What the Sehmua does have going for it over the Harymor, though, is much improved AI, which also links to a bird species’ Wikipedia page and gives options for corrections. It’s also fully usable out of the box with a yearlong free-trial subscription—a rarity among bird feeders in this price range—via the user-friendly Ubox app. Specs for the camera weren't provided, but the photo and video quality are quite solid, though not as sharp as Bird Buddy's or Birdfy's. The field of view is also decent, at 140 degrees. There's a lifetime free subscription version for $10 more, which Sehmua's rep assures me is otherwise exactly the same. I also like that this one's app labels all captures with a bird ID, so you can scroll down the day’s list and immediately see what’s worth clicking on.

 

FeatherSnap Smart Hummingbird Feeder

FeatherSnap just released its new HD-camera hummingbird feeder in May 2025, but like the Scout, it only supports still photos and a live feed without a subscription, which is a hassle to sign up for and difficult to cancel. It also holds up to 4 cups of nectar, but there are no instructions on how long one should leave liquid in the feeder (hummingbirds can become ill and die quickly from spoiled nectar), and that amount seems excessive for several days’ worth. That said, this is otherwise a sturdy and well-made feeder with multiple mounting options, an ant moat on top, and a convenient built-in solar panel that does a terrific job of holding a charge, even during extended cloudy periods. Despite the hassle with FeatherSnap's subscription situation, described above, this feeder experienced no connectivity or other issues during my testing period

PeckPerk Smart Bird Feeder With 2K Camera

One of the most unique-looking smart feeders on the market, the PeckPerk sports a teardrop shape inspired by a weaver bird nest, fronted by a 5-inch-long perch styled to look like twigs. Of particular interest to me, some of its early web copy promoted it as “squirrel proof.” I couldn’t figure out why this might be until 7 am one Saturday morning, when I heard what sounded like a tinny burglar alarm ringing somewhere beyond the bushes outside my living room window. I went outside, and lo and behold, a squirrel was sitting on the PeckPerk, munching away at a sunflower seed while a high-pitched alarm blared right in its face. I could tell this was not the first time this had happened (sorry, neighbors!), as the squirrel was completely unfazed. PeckPerk does get points for trying, though. (And it should be noted this alarm is easily disabled.) It also gets points for being exceedingly easy to fill, being one of the few feeders that can mount well on a tree or on a tripod, and having solid night vision with its 2K camera. However, not only does it require a subscription to record video and the mounting of an auxiliary solar panel, limiting where it can be placed, the app interface was extremely rudimentary compared with other feeders’ and not at all intuitive.

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