The Best Smart Bird Feeders for Backyard Birding

Birding is one of life’s great joys. Birds are so beautiful and fun to watch, but you have to keep your distance to not scare them away. Smart bird feeders—that is, bird feeders with cameras and connected apps—give you a close-up view of your backyard birds through captured images and real-time live views (as long as your Wi-Fi reaches). They’ve become increasingly popular, and tons of options are being released from reputable brands and Amazon clones alike. These are the best bird feeders we’ve tried.

The apps use AI that can, in theory, identify the species of birds. In our testing, none have had perfectly solid identifications. Nevertheless, each has pros that might appeal to you. You can use Google Lens or, if you have an iPhone running iOS 15 or later, download the photos to your camera roll and click the info button. It does a solid job of identifying birds. Even as a work in progress, I don’t want to be without a smart bird feeder now that I’ve experienced it.

Bird watching is pretty accessible as a hobby. You don’t have to join a group or really buy anything, but if you are interested, we have guides on the Best Binoculars and The Best Birding Gear, with recommendations to our favorite apps, books, and accessories.

Table of Contents

• How We Test Bird Feeders
• The Prettiest Feeder and a Plastic Alternative: Netvue Birdfy
• Best App Features: Bird Buddy
• An Honorable Mention: FeatherSnap
• BYO Camera Option: Wasserstein
• Tips for a Better Bird Feeder Experience

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How We Test Bird Feeders

I’ve tested some feeders on a balcony in Texas and one in a backyard in Pennsylvania. In Texas, I set them up both on a table as well as secured to the railing with the included mounting straps. In Pennsylvania, I used the bracket mounts to attach it to a pole.

After setup, I fill them with bird seed and patiently wait for the local birds to find them. I check out all the included app features, seeing how often I get notifications and noting whether they are accurately picking up just birds or any type of outdoor movement, and how well they’re able to distinguish bird species. I disassemble and clean them, returning them to their mounts after. I test each one for two weeks at minimum, but usually for over a month, and I leave them up long after official testing ended—at least until a new bird feeder comes.

The Prettiest Feeder (and a Plastic Alternative)

Birdfy, from security company Netvue, has two 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, 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 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.

Plastic, while not as pretty as wood, is more durable and easier to clean. Birdfy’s plastic house is another great option to consider, and it’s often discounted. Not all bundles come with a solar panel, but you can buy it separately.

The plastic version is the first smart feeder I tested. It has the same 1080p camera that the bamboo feeder has, which gives mostly clear live video feeds and photos of past visitors. If you pay $50 more, you get a lifetime subscription of AI identification, which is a solid deal in my opinion. Without it, it’ll cost you $5 a month. When we tried both Birdfy feeders, the bird recognition didn’t always identify birds correctly. Sometimes it identified the exact same bird as different species. It also 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—but if you’re hoping for a bird feeder–security camera hybrid, this could be exactly what you want.

Birdfy seed bins are large, but that isn’t necessarily a selling point. You want to keep them super clean, so you’ll likely be tossing out unused seed if you fill it up all the way (unless you get a ton of birds!).

The Best App Features

Bird Buddy (8/10, WIRED Recommends) ignited my obsession with these devices after it was announced during CES 2022. It’s very cute in its blue and yellow color options, and the app offers fun extras that the other feeders on this list lack. I also appreciate the creators’ genuine love of birds and desire to share that with the rest of the world.

At the time we tested most of these feeders, Bird Buddy’s AI recognition was the best. While it didn’t always identify birds correctly, it was usually within the same family—for example, it liked to say that the mourning doves that visited every day were occasionally white-winged or Eurasian-collared doves. We plan to retest it in Pennsylvania now that it’s been out for a while to see whether it improved.

When a bird is identified, you see facts about that species, including what they like to eat and their typical size and weight, plus clips of their bird songs and calls. You’ll also be able to see that species of birds among other community galleries (you have to specifically select to share with the community to have your photos made public). Since we’ve tested it, the app added features like reporting photos of what you think might be sick birds along with advice on what to look out for. This helps not only the AI identify potential illnesses accurately in the future, but it also gives you tips on how to prevent diseases from spreading.

It also comes in a version with the solar roof so you don’t have to charge the camera every week or so, (you can add on the roof later if you want to). I also think purchasing the perch extender is a good idea, since the actual feeder doesn’t have a ton of room, though I wish that just came standard for the price. It has its own host of other add-ons, and the brand allows creators to make their own accessories like cute fences and different types of perches.

The 720p camera isn’t as high-resolution as the Birdfy camera. If you sign up for the pro subscription for $6 a month or $60 a year, you can set it to 1080p for video, a feature you should absolutely not have to pay more for. Photos are vertical, so you don’t get a wide angle like you do with the other feeders. You may not get full wingspan images or see all the birds if there are multiple.

I’ve seen a number of negative reviews across Reddit and other social media sites about update errors and trouble with the app. I haven’t experienced any of these issues, but you can return it within 30 days if you encounter problems.

An Honorable Mention

FeatherSnap released its bird feeder in June, just weeks before we wrote this guide. Its AI is also very new and not as smart as Birdfy and Bird Buddy. When trying to identify birds, it gives a list of potential options. Sometimes it’s obvious which of that list is correct, like a cardinal, but often, it wasn’t—it couldn’t identify the finches that visit frequently. If you can properly identify it, you can save it to your bird book in the app. Over the few weeks I tried it, I could see it improving, so we hope that as more people buy the FeatherSnap, its AI will become a more reliable tool. I was also disappointed that you have to subscribe for $7 a month or $60 a year to get any features other than a live view.

But I still love this feeder for a few reasons. It’s relatively low-priced and comes standard with a solar roof. That means you don’t have to purchase a roof separately like with the Bird Buddy or mount a solar panel in addition to the actual feeder like with the Birdfy. The perch extends, and it has two bins so you can attract multiple birds with different seeds. The camera was also great at picking up birds as well as people (though it didn’t label them differently, just as visitors), which I liked since it’s in my backyard. But I did get at least a few photos a day of nothing, likely triggered by a swaying tree. There’s no night vision, either.

BYO Camera

If you can spend the money on one of the above picks, we think it’s worth it, but they are pricey—especially when you can get a basic feeder for around $20. If you still want to see who’s visiting, the Wasserstein feeder lets you add your own security camera. You can check a list of compatible cameras, with Wyze being a particularly affordable option. Depending on the camera you have, you may have to tinker with focus controls so you don’t get a ton of blurry images. It’s not a bad feeder to start with, but it does feel like cheaper plastic than our other recommendations.

You obviously won’t get bird identification, but if that’s important for you, you can try the free Merlin Bird ID app (iOS, Android). As mentioned above, if you have an iPhone running iOS 15 or later, you may be able to identify photos using your camera roll’s info button or you can use Google Lens.

Tips For a Better Bird Feeder Experience

• Keep feeders super clean. The last thing you want to do to your feathered guests is make them ill from eating moldy seeds or spread avian diseases. Every two weeks, scrub feeders with warm, soapy water and then either soak them in one part bleach to nine parts water or one part white vinegar to one part water—both methods are recommended by Audubon. Rinse and dry thoroughly before adding more seed (you don’t want bleach residue either). Keep an eye on bird flu outbreaks and pay attention to what the birds look like at your own feeders. If you suspect something, you’ll want to remove the feeder until things look better.
• Only get a hummingbird feeder if you’re dedicated to keeping it spotless. You need to be even more diligent about cleanliness here. You need to clean a hummingbird feeder every two to three days. Nectar sitting in the sun harbors bacteria growth quickly, which can cause hummingbird tongues to swell and almost always ends in their death. Red attracts these birds, but don’t use red nectar. There are no studies conclusively proving that dye harms birds, but at best it’s unnecessary and at worst might make them sick. Instead, go for feeders with red pieces to get their attention or stick to planting hummingbird-friendly flowers and skip the feeder altogether.
• Add a water source too. Birds need clean water for drinking and bathing, so you can make your backyard more of an oasis by providing it. The same cleaning technique outlined above goes for baths. You can also consider adding regular bird houses for birds to nest.
• Give birds time. You likely won’t see birds at your feeder day one. Give them time to find it and trust it. If after a few weeks you still don’t have visitors, it might be time to reevaluate what kind of bird seeds you’re using or where you’ve placed it.