Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro: one-minute review

The Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro uses the same Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder housing that features in our Best Bird Feeder Cameras round-up, but the camera has been upgraded to a new 'Nature Cam' unit.

Being the same size as its predecessor, the new camera unit simply slots into the housing and is held in place with a magnet. Installation and set-up proved easy and I was up and running in minutes. The new camera is noticeably better, offering an improved dynamic range and color, but most importantly it is now 2K in resolution which can be activated with a Bird Buddy Premium subscription.

There is a good level of control over the notifications you receive, with the options to receive every possible visit to your feeder, or just the smart notifications of the visits that may be of interest, such as new bird species. Within the app, visits, or 'Postcards' as they are called, are saved to Collections, where you can go in and see all of the different birds (and other animals) that have stopped by. You can also see other Postcards that users around the world have chosen to share.

The overall Bird Buddy system is very design-oriented and full of nice touches, from the way that the optional solar panel roof can be fitted, to the food hatch on the rear, the bright yellow or blue color of the feeder and the neat but stylish packaging and app design; everything has been thought out with a purpose.

There is a range of additional accessories for the Bird Buddy, including the solar panel roof. This neatly slots into position, and as long as it is angled into sunlight for a part of the day, it should provide enough power that you don't need to remove the camera for charging, especially during the summer. Other accessories include a 3-in-1 Nutrition kit, which provides a water bottle, a fruit spike and a 'Jelly Tray', each designed to meet different birds' nutritional needs.

One area that could be seen as lacking are the additional features that other cameras offer. For example, the Birdfy range is effectively repackaged home security cameras, with all the capabilities such cameras provide, such as built-in lights and alarm systems - both of which can also be used (usually unsuccessfully) to scare away squirrels. If you are looking for a birdfeeder camera that doubles up as a security camera for your garden, then Bird Buddy won't be the camera for you, it doesn't have those features.

For those who purely want to enjoy the avian visitors to their garden and share those images with family and friends on social media, the beautifully designed Bird Buddy app and high-quality photos and video footage will provide hours of pleasure. There is still the buzz of excitement when you get a notification of a new bird species stopping at your feeder.

Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro: price and availability

• Available now, lsit price $279/ £160
• There are plenty of optional accessories
• You'll need a premium subscription to unlock the best features

The Bird Buddy Smart Feeder Pro cost $279 / £219 but is currently reduced by 35% from its original price and can be had for $189 / £160.77 at the time of writing.

If you want the Solar Roof version, it is priced at a reasonable $219 / £186.29. The Bird Buddy can be purchased directly from the Bird Buddy website, which has US and EU store options. It is also available on Amazon via their Global Store, so it should be available worldwide. It can also be purchased from John Lewis and Curry's in the UK.

The optional add-ons are the Perch Extender ($24), Solar Roof ($59), 3-in-1 Nutrition Set ($39), Wall Mount ($29), and Suet Ball Holder ($14). Again, each of these is available via the Bird Buddy website or Amazon, depending on your location. Prices are converted to GBP.

There are two optional Premium subscription services available in Individual and Family versions. As detailed, these provide a range of new features, most importantly 2K Ultra video resolution and unlimited online storage of footage. The Family option allows you to grant family members access to the live feed from your camera. To find out more about the differences in the plans, see Bird Buddy Plans.

Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro: specs

Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro: design

• Compact All-In-One design
• Great design touches to keep everything neat and tidy
• Solar Roof reduces the need to remove and recharge the camera

Setting up the Bird Buddy Smart Feeder Pro was straightforward. After reviewing the previous version of the camera, I already had the app installed, so installation was as simple as selecting "add a new Bird Buddy" in the app menu and following the on-screen instructions. The instructions are very clear and have a human feel to them. Setup is simple, and you don't need previous experience to easily pair the camera to your phone and then your Wi-Fi system.

As Bird Buddy sent me the new Nature Cam to install in my existing Bird Buddy feeder, I simply removed the cable linking the original camera to the Solar Roof and pulled out the camera, which is held in a recess with a strong magnet. Fitting the new camera was the reverse procedure, with the magnet reassuringly ensuring the camera was locked in tight. Again, the USB-C charging port was connected to the Solar Roof.

As supplied by Bird Buddy, the feeder has a mount that can be connected to a post, or it comes with a rope for hanging from a tree or feeding pole. I opted to hang the feeder from a branch of a tree and tried to position it so that the solar panel was oriented to get as much sunlight as possible.

The feeder itself is made from strong plastic. It has a small panel at the top of the rear that can be opened to pour in bird feed. In fact, the feeder comes with a Feed Scoop. It can be a little bit fiddly given I had to climb a ladder, with the feeder is swinging from a tree, but it is quite a neat solution. There is an optional Wall Mount that allows you to swivel the feeder around for easy access to the rear for loading food.

The feeder was placed around 12m from the nearest Wi-Fi access point, which was in my house and through a glass window. I had no problems connecting to the camera when wanting to view, although there was a short delay while I had to wait for the live view to appear on my phone. In reality, this was no longer than if I tried to connect to view my Ring camera live view.

If you have followed any of my previous bird feeder reviews, you will know I have an issue with squirrels raiding the feeders in my garden. The Bird Buddy has no Squirrel deterrents like the Birdfy feeder cameras. However, the good news is that little damage has been done to the housing despite it being scratched and chewed by squirrels, over the course of a year and a half hanging in my garden.

Having the feeder hanging rather than strapped or mounted to the tree has made it more difficult for the squirrels to get to it, but they still find ways of jumping and climbing to reach the food. At least the feeder is still intact.

The other thing worth noting is both Individual and Family subscriptions are possible. The primary reason for a subscription is to unlock the Ultra 2K resolution, which has noticeably better, less compressed image quality.

The subscription also adds the Remote Feeder Unlock to see feeders from around the world, Unlimited Cloud storage of your photos and video, the Name That Bird feature, which allows you to give a nickname to a specific bird individual bird, Bird Care which will alert you about injured or sick birds and offer advice on how to keep your birds healthy, and finally Bird Buddy Experiments which give the user access to new features that may be trialled.

Although you can add family and friends to your account to see video clips from your feeder, the Family Premium subscription allows friends and family to log in and see the live view from your feeder.

Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro: performance

• 2K video available via a subscription only

The image quality from the Nature Cam is noticeably better than that of the original camera if you fork out for a subscription which unlocks 2K resolution. Do so, and images have more fine detail, and the HDR image brings out more colour and detail.

There are limitations; the camera sensor is still 1/2.7", which is about on par with a smartphone camera. However, the low resolution offers reasonable dynamic range performance, which can be seen in shadow details.

Highlights are easily blown out, as you would expect, and direct sunlight can cause lens flares, so it is important to position the feeder, and therefore the camera, at an angle where these will be minimized, or at least at times of day when you are most likely to get footage from the camera.

Light is everything when it comes to photography, and the placement of the camera in relation to the sun can make a big difference in the images you get from the camera.

It should be noted that the Bird Buddy creates portrait-orientation videos, which are perfect for viewing on a smartphone. However, if you eventually want to view them on a TV screen or computer, you might want to look elsewhere for the best viewing experience.

Compared to other bird feeder cameras I have tested, there is more of a delay in receiving notifications, so you won't always catch the bird on the live stream. However, the Postcards you receive are a nice touch. You can turn notifications off entirely and check in on the app occasionally to catch up the action you have missed.

The camera focuses well on smaller birds, with plenty of room on the feeder for them to perch and pick at the feed. However, larger birds struggle to land and also to balance on my hanging feeder. The optional perch add-on would be a great addition for most users. It allows larger birds to land and their heads to be further from focus. If you want to capture larger birds clearly, I would recommend getting the perch as an accessory.

I have had the original Bird Buddy Smart Feeder hanging outside in my garden for over a year. It has seen bright sunshine and freezing snow, and the recyclable plastic structure is in tact, although the color has faded slightly from the UV light. I had the new Nature Cam installed for a few months for testing, and it has also seen heavy rain, freezing conditions, and bright sunshine. It is in great condition, and it is still performing perfectly.

The Solar Roof has been a great accessory, and in the winter months, the camera doesn't need to be taken in and charged despite the lower light levels. In the summer, I know I might have to reposition it to avoid foliage casting shadows on the roof, but this may be negated by the fact that there will be more daylight hours.

Video and photo samples

Should you buy the Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro

• I hung the feeder in a tree for 6 months
• It was connected to my home Wi-Fi
• I monitored the birds visiting daily via the Bird Buddy app

I tested the Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder Pro by hanging it from a tree in my garden that birds (and squirrels) regularly visit. The feeder was strapped to the tree, and the camera was set up using an iPhone and the Bird Buddy app.

I left the feeder up there for months through all weather conditions. During that time, I monitored the birds visiting via the app in real-time and reviewed photos and videos that had been captured.

I have also looked at AI recognition and the various capabilities of the app.

• First reviewed April 2025