you’ve probably seen a smart bird feeder or know someone who has one. 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 Lite feeder ($140) and Birdbuddy’s Pro ($179), 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.

Updated January 2026: I’ve added the solar-roof version of Kiwibit’s Beako as a new pick and new testing notes for both Birdbuddys, added a feeder from Detiko to Others Tested, and ensured up-to-date links and prices. Next up is the Coolfly Aura, a feeder with a unique modular camera system, which debuted at CES this week.

Best Overall

This cheery blue- or yellow-roofed feeder, from security company Netvue, is the first smart feeder WIRED tested, back in 2022. At that time, we gave it a 6/10 rating for its high price and wonky AI. Both metrics have improved dramatically since then—Birdfy’s app is now the second-most user-friendly on the market, behind only Birdbuddy, and this feeder is often on sale for $150 or less. If you pay $20 more, you get a lifetime subscription for AI identification, which is a solid deal, especially since the AI’s success rate is fairly decent. Without it, it’ll cost you $5 a month, but it’s not required to get plenty of enjoyment. 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, and it’s still going strong two years later.

The 1080p camera has one of the widest viewing angles of any smart feeder, at 155 degrees, and 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 super easy to fill 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 can be mounted on a pole, wall, or tree, though if you mount it on a pole using the 5-7-9 siting rule, you won’t be able to mount the solar panel.)

Best Upgrade

This Beako model is not only one of the most thoughtfully designed feeders on the market, it’s also what I use in my own yard when I’m not testing feeders for work. The 1.5L dual-hopper plastic seed reservoir is removable from the body for refilling, so you don’t have to take the whole feeder down; the 8 MP photos and 4K HD video are much better quality than you’ll find from most competitors; and the components come apart for easy cleaning. I also tested the original version with a separate solar panel, and my only complaint was that the panel stopped charging the camera after about six weeks. There’s now a version with a built-in solar roof, which has done an excellent job keeping things charged during its six-week-long test, even in cloudy weather. The IP65 plastic body is extremely thick and sturdy, and unlike lighter-weight models, it’s designed to hold up in more extreme weather.

The app is easy to navigate, and the whole setup is fully functional without a Kiwibit Plus subscription ($4/month or $47/year, purchasable through the Kiwibit app)—it even includes AI identification as a base feature, and it’s pretty decent. However, Kiwibit Plus is necessary to access all features, mainly extended 60-day storage and the ability to record up to three minutes of video if a bird is doing something interesting, which is a unique feature among smart feeders and one I discovered I love. (Nothing more frustrating than having a video cut off right as a bird is about to do something funny.) If you’ve tried other smart feeders and found them lacking, this one costs a bit more for what it is, and it’s almost never on sale, but if you know you like having a smart feeder, I think it’s worth the investment. Note, however, that it only works on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, and the warranty is half the length you get from competitors.

Best Connectivity

Camojojo’s original Hibird feeder has long been a reliable model in my testing stable, unique for its ability to run on both 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz Wi-Fi bands—almost all smart feeders are 2.4 GHz only—and this year saw the debut of an upgraded model, the Hibird Pro. This one has built-in solar panels, an option for pole mounting, and supposedly improved AI identification, though it still frequently misidentifies even common birds in my West Coast backyard as East Coast species. The app is not as streamlined or user-friendly as Birdfy’s or Birdbuddy’s, but it’s still easy enough to navigate, with options for changing video length (default is 10 seconds) or viewing in slo-mo. Video is the default media type it saves, though this is 4K Ultra HD. Without a subscription, you can’t search past videos by bird, and cloud storage is capped at 5 GB over 60 days, though the feeder does come with a 128-GB SD card. You’ll also get “smarter” chats with the app’s AI Q&A function, “Dr. Bird,” and the ability to share across two devices ($45 year/$4 month).

I appreciate the generous 1.5L seed hopper, though this, combined with the solar panel and battery, makes this one heavy feeder. When filled, it tips the scales at 5 pounds, so if you do pole mount, you will need to use both included hose clamps. I also wouldn’t attempt to mount it on anything unstable. Other Hibird features transferred to the Pro are the assembly screws having little handles on them, so you won’t need a screwdriver, and a chunky IP66 plastic body. It was subjected to a little bit of squirrel chewing during my test, but still held up well.

Best Smart Hummingbird Feeder

Birdbuddy is known for its user-friendliness and thoughtful and fun app, and its new Pro Smart Hummingbird Feeder is no exception. Everything about its use is intuitive and easy. AI identification, 5 MP photos, 2K HD 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 bit rate, 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 Birdbuddy 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 Birdbuddy’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. You’ll also find fun, seasonal touches in the app, like the ability to send digital bird holiday cards with your pics, or a tool to superimpose hats, clothes, and various accessories on the birds, which is actually funnier than it sounds. However, as with the Birdbuddy Pro seed feeder, below, the big downside is that the feeder’s 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.

A Unique 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, though I did like that it comes with interchangeable hole sizes to interest different species. We did have a few assorted connectivity issues, and 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.

Best App

The photos aren’t nearly as impressive as those by competitors like the Birdfy Pro Duo, Camojojo Hibird, or Kiwibit Beako, and the camera, frustratingly, only captures a handful of the birds that visit. (The non-solar version is occasionally flagged as a frequently returned item on Amazon due to both this and charging issues, so I recommend the solar version.) However, Birdbuddy’s app is a consistent 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 Birdbuddy 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, and there are also unique seasonal features like the ability to send holiday cards or “dress up” visiting birds with hats, glasses, and sweaters. (It is funnier than it sounds, really!) Both Birdbuddys work with 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi only.

Another Birdbuddy downside 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. However, this feeder is still worth it for those who like a more streamlined app experience and/or want to take advantage of some of its unique sharing features, especially Premium’s ability to share your feeder livestream with others.

If You Want to Use an Existing Bird Feeder

If you have an existing bird feeder you like, or are interested in building your own and are just looking for a camera, Hibird’s stand-alone DIY feeder camera is for you. 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. There is a subscription tier with features like increased storage, but the camera is still usable without it. 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 ChatGPT-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.)

A Truly Squirrel-Proof Design

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first—the app for this feeder is not good. Not only is it suspiciously called “Birdty,” it’s not intuitive to navigate and requires a subscription to access all features—including AI identification, which is terrible. I have also seen this feeder body (TT Nature offers it in green or red) sold from time to time under other Amazon insignias, so it’s not unique to this brand. However, those usually have solar panels attached to the roofs, from which squirrels can hang upside down to avoid tripping the spring-loaded perch. This one leaves off the panel (there is one that can be mounted separately, but it’s not possible when the feeder is pole-mounted, which is what I recommend), but it doesn’t need it, as the charge from the 5,200-mAh battery lasts well over a month.

I had my test unit sited on a pole with a baffle far from fences and overhanging branches, and though an occasional squirrel would still manage to find the feeder, the spring-loaded perch mechanism worked as intended—a squirrel tries to sit, and a bar flips up to block access to the seed. (There’s also a squirrel alarm feature that can be toggled on and off in the app, but in my experience, those never work.) I have seen squirrels try to chew through the sides, but given that the body is metal, their efforts are fruitless.