Best Bird Feeders With Cameras, Tested and Reviewed (2025)

1 month ago

Odds are, at this constituent you’ve astir apt seen aliases cognize personification who has a smart vertebrate feeder. They’re reasonably recognizable from a region pinch their clear housing, cameras, and star panels, and possibly a friend aliases family personnel has sent you a photograph aliases video of a agleam goldfinch aliases handsome woodpecker (guilty). The mobility astatine this point, then, is whether these things are really worthy nan $100-plus value tag. Are they really durable? And what astir nan squirrel problem?

Lucky for you we’ve been testing nan astir celebrated smart vertebrate feeder models, including Netvue’s original Birdfy feeder ($135) and Bird Buddy's caller Pro exemplary ($219), for months connected end—in rain, snow, and heat, and successful a gait pinch persistent squirrels. We’ve explored nan apps and notification settings, installed immoderate optional star panels, and utilized Cornell Lab’s All About Birds—as good arsenic Google Lens and our ain section expertise—to verify nan accuracy of AI identifications.

Updated May 2025 : We added Birdfy’s Polygon smart birdhouse and Bird Buddy’s Pro hummingbird feeder arsenic picks; a hummingbird feeder from Harymor, seed feeders from Sehmua, IsYoung, and PeckPerk; and a caller reappraisal of nan FeatherSnap Scout. We besides added accusation connected dealing pinch squirrels.

Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano tested immoderate feeders connected a pavilion successful Texas and 1 successful a backyard successful Pennsylvania. In Texas, she group them up some connected a array arsenic good arsenic secured to nan railing pinch nan included mounting straps. In Pennsylvania, she utilized nan bracket mounts to connect to a pole. WIRED reviewer Kat Merck tested feeders successful a rural-surburban vicinity successful southwest Washington. The feeders were mounted straight connected nan location aliases connected a obstruction pinch nan included bracket mounts, aliases hung from a shepherd’s hook.

After setup, we filled them pinch vertebrate seed (or, successful nan lawsuit of nan hummingbird feeders, a nectar substance of 4-to-1 granulated sweetener and water) and patiently waited for nan section birds to find them. We checked retired each nan included app features, seeing really often we sewage notifications and noting whether they are accurately picking up conscionable birds aliases immoderate type of outdoor movement, and really good they're capable to separate vertebrate species. We disassembled and cleaned them, returning them to their mounts after. We trial each 1 for 2 weeks astatine minimum, but usually for complete a month.

Tips for a Better Bird Feeder Experience

Keep feeders ace clean. The past point you want to do to your feathered guests is make them sick from eating moldy seeds aliases dispersed avian diseases. Every 2 weeks, scrub feeders pinch warm, soapy h2o and past either soak them successful 1 portion bleach to 9 parts h2o aliases 1 portion achromatic vinegar to 1 portion water—both methods are recommended by Audubon. Rinse and barren thoroughly earlier adding much seed (you don't want bleach residue either). Keep an oculus connected vertebrate flu outbreaks and salary attraction to what nan birds look for illustration astatine your ain feeders. If you fishy something, you'll want to region nan feeder until things look better.
Only get a hummingbird feeder if you're dedicated to keeping it spotless. You request to beryllium moreover much diligent astir cleanliness here. You request to cleanable a hummingbird feeder each 2 to 3 days. Nectar sitting successful nan sun harbors germs maturation quickly, which tin origin hummingbird tongues to swell and almost ever ends successful their death. Red attracts these birds, but don't usage reddish nectar. There are nary studies conclusively proving that dye harms birds, but astatine champion it's unnecessary and astatine worst mightiness make them sick. Instead, spell for feeders pinch reddish pieces to get their attraction aliases instrumentality to planting hummingbird-friendly flowers and skip nan feeder altogether.
Add a h2o root too. Birds request cleanable water for drinking and bathing, truthful you tin make your backyard much of an oasis by providing it. The aforesaid cleaning method outlined supra goes for baths. You tin besides see adding regular vertebrate houses for birds to nest.
Give birds time. You apt won't spot birds astatine your feeder time one. Give them clip to find it and spot it. If aft a fewer weeks you still don't person visitors, it mightiness beryllium clip to reevaluate what benignant of vertebrate seeds you're utilizing aliases wherever you've placed it.

Photograph: Kat Merck

As is nan lawsuit pinch immoderate vertebrate feeder, squirrels emotion to eat astatine smart vertebrate feeders, which are not squirrel-proof, sloppy of trading claims. However, astir of nan smart feeders we’ve tested are conscionable arsenic sturdy, if not successful immoderate cases sturdier, than analog vertebrate feeders. If nan feeder is hanging, nan worst that will astir apt hap is that nan squirrel’s weight will origin it to plaything wildly, spilling seed onto nan ground. If it’s mounted, nan worst-case script is apt nan squirrel eating each nan seed, chewing nan edges, and covering up nan camera pinch its fuzzy butt.

The gait wherever I trial smart feeders year-round is lousy pinch nan ample and persistent rodents, and nan squirrel harm I’ve sustained connected trial feeders has been minor. With nan Birdfy Pro Duo, below, nan animals chewed disconnected nan edges to amended get astatine nan seed proviso erstwhile it was low, and nan FeatherSnap Scout had its mounting bent. Top of mind is nan 5-7-9 method of siting a vertebrate feeder—at slightest 5 feet disconnected nan ground, astatine slightest 7 feet distant from immoderate structures, and astatine slightest 9 feet distant from thing a squirrel could jump from (branches, fences, roofs).

Another action is an aftermarket baffle added to feeders hanging connected shepherd’s hooks, aliases a rod pinch a built-in baffle, for illustration this one offered by Birdfy. Another action is utilizing seed treated pinch capsaicin, aliases basking pepper. Birds don’t person capsaicin receptors for illustration mammals do, truthful they’re not affected by nan taste. That said, I’ve recovered capsaicin only keeps squirrels distant for a mates of days, whether because they’ve gotten utilized to it aliases nan capsicum loses its potency erstwhile exposed to nan elements. As a past resort, you could ever conscionable study to unrecorded pinch nan squirrels and dedicate a feeder to them, though my neighbour does this and I'm of nan mind it brings moreover much squirrels to nan area.

What Are We Testing Next?

Best Overall

Netvue

Birdfy Plastic Smart Bird Feeder

This cheery bluish and achromatic feeder, from information institution Netvue, is nan first smart feeder erstwhile WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano tested, backmost successful 2022. At that clip she gave it a 6/10 rating for its value and wonky AI. Both metrics person improved since then—I was impressed pinch nan Birdfy app's AI erstwhile I tested nan upgraded 2 Duo (see below), and this feeder is very often connected waste for $200 aliases less. If you salary $20 more, you get a life subscription of AI identification, which is simply a coagulated deal. Without it, it'll costs you $5 a month. Medea tested some this and nan Birdfy bamboo feeder (below) and recovered nan AI nickname didn't ever place birds correctly. This is nan feeder I bought my parents for Christmas during an Amazon Prime Day sale, and they've had a akin experience. That said, I've tested feeders from aggregate brands and, fixed nan wide variability successful lighting, shadows, and camera cleanliness, nary AI is going to execute flawlessly. Unlike immoderate brands’, Birdfy's AI still useful much often than it doesn't.

Photograph: Medea Giordano

Medea recovered that nan 1080P wide-angle camera picks up a batch much activity from non-birds, truthful you whitethorn extremity up pinch a ton of notifications depending connected wherever this is placed. If you're hoping for a bird-feeder/security-camera hybrid, though, this could beryllium precisely what you want—especially since it offers colour nighttime vision. The IP65 integrative building besides makes this feeder durable and easier to clean, and nan 50-ounce seed reservoir is acold easier to capable than nan Bird Buddy pinch its convenient flip-up top. Not each bundles travel pinch a star panel, but you tin buy it separately. Unlike different feeders, nan star sheet is not built successful and will person to beryllium mounted and connected separately pinch nan included 9.8-foot charging cable. (The Birdfy comes pinch a rod mount, wall mount, and character strap.)

Best-Looking

Netvue

Birdfy Bamboo Smart Bird Feeder

Birdfy has multiple feeders we recommend. This bamboo 1 is nan champion looking, but it comes pinch a spot of upkeep. It doesn't person integrative parts for illustration nan remainder of nan feeders connected this list, and pinch its achromatic and earthy wood hues, it looks for illustration it belongs successful nature. An extendable perch lets aggregate birds stitchery and investigate, and it has 2 ample bins for either different types of seeds aliases nan same. The bins mingle successful nan tray astatine nan bottom, however. The FeatherSnap feeder below uses abstracted bins and trays if you for illustration that.

Like astir of nan different feeders connected this list, it tin beryllium mounted connected a rod aliases character aliases hung from a hook. It besides comes pinch a star sheet that you tin equine arsenic well, truthful you ne'er person to deliberation astir charging nan camera battery.

As beautiful arsenic nan bamboo feeder is, it does require maintenance. Birdfy notes that nan feeder has a waterproof standing of IP65 and that it's mold- and rot-resistant. However, nan personification manual states that it needs to beryllium sealed. Via Reddit, Birdfy recommends sealing utilizing a bird-safe wood sealer. I can't remark straight connected its durability, since erstwhile I tested this feeder I utilized it connected a array connected 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 caller Pro Smart Hummingbird Feeder is nary exception. Everything astir its usage is intuitive and easy. AI identification, 5-MP photos, HD 2K video pinch slo-mo, everything you request is included retired of nan box—no subscription needed. There’s nary auxiliary star sheet to interest about, arsenic it’s built into nan roof. Pairing pinch your telephone is simply a cinch, integrating it into nan Bird Buddy app pinch different feeders is simply a snap, and moreover filling it is nary problem—unlike different feeders that person weirdly cavernous capacities and/or request to beryllium filled upside down, nan Bird Buddy’s bottommost screws disconnected and holds a reasonable 1.75 cups of liquid. This is much important than you’d think, arsenic Cornell Lab of Ornithology points retired that nan easier it is to cleanable a hummingbird feeder, nan much apt you are to do it often and well.

Photograph: Kat Merck

It besides comes pinch other integrative flowers and a brush, and nan app sends reminders arsenic to erstwhile it's clip to clean. As pinch nan Bird Buddy Pro seed feeder (7/10, WIRED Recommends), nan sensor doesn’t ever prime up each vertebrate that visits, which tin decidedly beryllium a bummer erstwhile you spot thing absorbing retired nan model but it doesn’t show up successful nan app. Hopefully this is thing that tin beryllium remedied connected consequent app updates.

Best-Looking Smart Birdhouse

Birdfy

Nest Polygon Smart Birdhouse

Birdfy’s caller Polygon Smart Birdhouse (7/10, WIRED Recommends) isn’t nan first smart birdhouse connected nan market, but it is nan astir interesting-looking. The parallelogram-esque, turquoise-paneled style won a Gold grant astatine 2024’s French Design Awards, and it’s easy capable to equine connected a pole, fence, aliases tree. All nan camera instrumentality is located successful an easy-to-open rear hatch, and there’s moreover a distant power astatine nan extremity of a 10-foot cord to beryllium capable to complaint (though it has a built-in star panel, truthful you apt won’t request to) aliases reset nan 1080p camera.

Photograph: Kat Merck

It's elemental to merge pinch nan easy-to-use Birdfy app, which is fresh and waiting to combine a bird's shareable “story,” from assembly of nan nest to hatching to fledgling, and yet “the end,” erstwhile nan nest is abandoned for nan season. Note that nan camera does emit an audible click whenever it's triggered by activity aliases nan app, and nan wrong is simply a small larger than astir birds would people gravitate to. Our trial location hasn’t had immoderate vertebrate visitors yet this year, but a task head for Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch said it should only beryllium a matter of time.

Best App

Bird Buddy

Smart Bird Feeder Pro

Bird Buddy's newest upgrade (7/10, WIRED Recommends) looks overmuch nan aforesaid arsenic its soon-to-be-phased-out original feeder, prevention for a snazzy caller HDR camera that tin besides sprout 2K HD video pinch slow-motion capability. It's been going beardown successful my gait for complete 4 months now. In summation to having a visibly larger, much precocious lens, nan camera's now sewage a larger attraction range, wider section of view, and high-fidelity microphone. (A subscription to Premium for $7.50 a period unlocks 2K Ultra pinch a higher video bitrate, allowing for richer colors, sharper images, and little inheritance noise, but it's perfectly usable without this. )

The photos aren't astir arsenic awesome arsenic nan Birdfy Duo's, and nan camera, frustratingly, only captures a fistful of nan birds that visit. (The non-solar type is presently flagged arsenic a often returned point connected Amazon owed to some this and charging issues, truthful I urge nan star version.) But nan app is simply a standout, pinch a user-friendly creation and plentifulness of adjuvant alerts, for illustration if a feline is detected nearby, aliases if it's clip to cleanable nan feeder. It besides serves you insights gathered complete time, for illustration what clip definite type look to for illustration to visit. (Finches apparently for illustration to sojourn my gait each time astatine 10 am). The Bird Buddy besides “sleeps” astatine nighttime and does not look to stress capturing photos of people, truthful it wouldn't make a bully prime to double arsenic a information camera. Both Bird Buddys activity pinch 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi only.

Screenshot courtesy of Kat Merck

Installation options see a hanger aliases cosmopolitan equine for a standard-size rod (not included). If you unrecorded successful an area frequented by squirrels, I highly urge abiding by Bird Buddy's “5-7-9” norm for siting your feeder: 5 feet disconnected nan ground, 7 feet distant from trees aliases structures, and 9 feet of clearance supra it. Squirrels haven't shown liking successful chewing my Bird Buddy Pro, which is hanging from a shepherd's hook adjacent a tree, but they will plaything connected it, spilling overmuch of nan seed.

One of nan biggest downsides of some Bird Buddys is nan infuriatingly small, hinged opening for filling nan 4 cups' worthy of seed. The feeder comes pinch its ain spouted cup, but I person yet to capable nan feeder without making an tremendous mess. I besides person nan 3-in-1 Nutrition Set ($40), which includes a screw-on tray that tin variably go a h2o fountain, jelly dish, aliases consequence liking for fruit-loving type for illustration orioles. I've utilized it arsenic a jelly crockery and h2o fountain and recovered that it blocks capable of nan perch area that birds thin to displacement retired of camera position to debar it. Overall, this upgrade complete nan original whitethorn beryllium worthy it if you scheme to return advantage of immoderate of nan app's sharing features, particularly Premium's expertise to stock your feeder livestream pinch others.

Recommended With Reservations

Birdfy's flagship upgrade for 2025, victor of this year's CES Innovation Award and an American Good Design Gold Award, has nan champion photograph and video value of immoderate vertebrate feeder I've tested, barroom none. There's 1 dual-lens front-facing camera (2-MP/1080p wide perspective and 3-MP/2K portrait) and 1 2-MP/1080p broadside camera, and some seizure sharp, highly elaborate video pinch high-quality sound. The front-facing camera will moreover cookware and harvest to guarantee it's focused connected a bird. (Note that there's besides a cheaper, single-camera version of nan Feeder 2 that we haven't tested.) The feeder's IP66-rated integrative body, which has held up very good truthful acold successful Pacific Northwest wintertime weather, is wall-, pole-, aliases tree-mountable. An auxiliary star sheet and life AI vertebrate recognition are some included.

The reservoir holds somewhat little seed than nan original integrative Birdfy, astatine 42 ounces vs. Birdfy 1’s 50 ounces, which is conscionable arsenic well, arsenic this feeder seems to beryllium a magnet for squirrels who for illustration to chew connected it and bargain nan seed. I had changeless problem pinch nan rodents chewing disconnected nan sides and compartment dividers during my 2 months of testing. (I had marginal occurrence mixing Audubon Wild Bird Food pinch habanero-based Cole’s Flaming Squirrel Sauce, $16, but nan squirrels did travel backmost eventually.)