Customer Ratings & Reviews

My house backs up to a nature preserve that is full of wildlife, so I keep plenty of bird feeders and even a deer feeder in the yard to attract them. I already have a video-enabled birdfeeder, but I had heard a lot about the Bird Buddy and decided to add it to the yard. The first thing I noticed about the Bird Buddy is how simple it is. Setup takes just a few minutes to assemble and fill. Installing the app and connecting to the feeder and Wi-Fi is also a simple process - fairly typical of modern web-enabled appliances. Once connected, the app allows for live views of the camera, including audio. When it recognizes birds feeding, it sends you a video clip of the bird along with identification of the species. One thing I really like about the Bird Buddy is that its basic features require no subscription service. The AI bird identification and video clips are all included. Some of the other video feeders I’ve tried require a paid subscription fee to get the AI identification or to store video. Unfortunately, that’s about the best thing I can say about the Bird Buddy. There are many things I find disappointing about this feeder compared to others that I’ve used: • The camera only activates when it detects birds or other wildlife close to it. If a person walks through the yard, it does not register that. My other video feeders record all motion so they can double as security cameras. • The camera lacks an “intruder” alarm. Another video feeder I have uses a loud siren sound to scare away squirrels, racoons and other large “robbers”. The Bird Buddy will require some additional squirrel-proofing. • Other than the included hanging hook, attaching it to a post or tree requires purchasing optional hardware. At this price point, I’d have expected that hardware to be included. • There is no external Wi-Fi antenna, so range is a bit limited. I have a high-end mesh Wi-Fi system, and this feeder’s range is a bit shorter than others that have a good external antenna. • The camera needs as much sunlight as possible to stay charged. With the solar panel being small and on the side of the roof means the feeder has to be strategically placed in order to get maximum sunlight. Hanging it in a tree in the shade won’t give it enough light to stay charged all day. If this feeder were much less expensive, these shortcomings might be forgivable, but there is a lot of competition in this market. Other video feeders include more features and mounting options for less. For that reason, I cannot recommend the Bird Buddy.

What a great idea! A bird feeder equipped with a video/photo camera that automatically films the action in front of the lens when motion is detected. The Birdbuddy bird feeder is very well thought out and is a welcome addition to our backyard which faces the Northern Phoenix Sonoran Desert where we have a plethora of avian activity. Our birds include woodpeckers, cardinals, hummingbirds, hawks, owls, vultures, road runners and tons of quail. The Birdbuddy comes almost completely assembled and includes small solar panels on the roof of the bird house feeder, a rechargeable camera that shoots at 720p but for a monthly fee can increase to 1080p quality, a pole mount adapter and a clear see-through bird seed container that can be filled using the included seed cup. The camera can be recharged using the included USB-C cable or when installed in the Birdbuddy and plugged into the solar roof cable. A smartphone application is available for free download and use to capture up-close photos or videos of neighborhood birds and to view content shared by the Birdbuddy community of 150,000 users located in 120 countries around the world. Birdbuddy sends you notifications of bird visits, identifies birds using artificial intelligence helps you build photo collecctions and post cards of birds in your collection. Made of sturdy plastic, Birdbuddy is a informative device I never knew I needed. I can't wait for my grandchildren to visit as I am sure this will be a fun and educational attraction for them on their visit!

I initially was very skeptical about this product. I am not a bird “lover” and I do not go out of my way to take pictures of birds. However, my wife convinced me to give the Birdbuddy Smart Bird Feeder a try. The Birdbuddy is nicely packaged and comes with a smart bird feeder, a solar roof, a camera module, a universal mount, a metal hanger, a seed scoop, a usb charging cable, and associated screws for the universal mount. At its heart, the Birdbuddy is essentially a bird feeder/home and a mechanism to take and therefore print closeup and candid pictures of birds that would be very difficult to achieve otherwise. The camera is capable of taking 5 megapixel photos with a field of view of 120 degrees and is capable of HD live stream video with audio. It can be controlled by WiFi and has a useful phone app. The included rechargeable 3800mah battery is normally charged by the solar roof but also can be recharged with the usb-c cable. If you are a bird “enthusiast” or think that you might be interested in unusual and candid photos of birds that would be very difficult to achieve, I highly recommended the Birdbuddy.

When unpacking my Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder with Solar Roof my first impression was that it was small, toy-like and wouldn't hold much. I love the idea of the solar panel on the roof and hope it keeps the camera charged. I charged the camera, put it together, filled it up and hung it outside my kitchen window. We have 2 other bird feeders and 4 hummingbird feeders outside this window and love watching the birds from our kitchen. It's been 3 days and one cardinal (that nests about 20 feet away) has been to the feeder twice, While the cardinal stayed and ate for a while, he was mostly out of the cameras view. Usually when I fill an empty feeder in this location the birds are almost instantly there. I think the birds have been slow to recognize this as a feeder. The included app notifies you when you have a visitor (bird) and identifies the bird. You can save the pictures and videos you like and share them with others. The app allows you to view other feeders around the world and save (collect) the pictures (postcards) from your feeder as well as others. I have had a little trouble getting away from some pages in the app which I'll chalk up to me being early in the learning curve. Like so many other connected electronic items, the Bird Buddy has a free level of connectivity and a paid one. I was disappointed to find that the cameras highest resolution (1080) is locked out in the included free app and only available with the paid subscription. If not for the price, I'd get these for my grandchildren. These would probably be a great classroom tool. While The Bird Buddy does what it says it does, it seems toy-like, low capacity and so far, my birds aren't coming. Perhaps this will grow on me and my birds, but today I say not ready for prime time.

Takes awe inspiring pictures and videos. It is not always consistent in the pictures that it takes. On numerous times, we have watched cardinals and chickadees and house finches stop by for a visit and lunch, but the BirdBuddy camera does not even bother to snap a picture. … And that is despite the birds standing on the perch for over a minute. So the AI software needs tweaking to be more accurate and consistent. The bird feeder is well made but the solar panel is completely useless. It does not charge at all! The app shows that it is charging from the panel but it never moves the needle. The battery continues to drain despite being connected to the solar panel. I bring the camera inside for charging every 10-12 days. So, it’s not too big of an issue that the solar panel doesn’t work. My suggestion is buy the cheaper birdbuddy camera without the solar panel. Yes I would recommend this product but I am disappointed that it doesn’t take consistent pictures and videos. Too many beautiful birds that stop for dinner and the camera ignores them. That’s just rude! And the lack of solar charging even though I paid extra for the feature is disappointing.

Very cool product. Nice to see the birds up close and the feature which identifies the breed is awesome! The solar panel has also worked well, I installed it 3 weeks ago and no issues. A bit expensive but packed with features and very good quality.

I received this as a Christmas gift and I LOVE IT. Once they figured out there was a new feeder, I get birds several times a day. The Bird Buddy identifies the bird by name, takes a few photos and a video. You can save them (called postcards) or discard them. If you save them, you can keep it private or share with the bird buddy community. The solar version has kept it charged up since Christmas- I haven’t had to bring it in to charge. Even though I placed it a little farther past my ring camera which needs WiFi, the Bird Buddy has no problem picking up WiFi. My friend didn’t get me the white perch, so I bought that through a third party and more birds came after that. Great product!

Excellent product! Easy to set up, and charges great with solar roof.

I received the birdy buddy with solar roof as a gift last fall. I'm recently retired, spend a fair amount of time in my kitchen. I hung buddy where I can see it from my kitchen window and love watching the bird activity every day. I love it, one of the best gifts I've ever gotten. Love the community and the bird identification feature.

I bought this for my mom for Mother’s Day and she loves it! I love being added to the app so I can see all the birds that visit her yard and the images are super clear. The birds always look like they are posing. Soooo much fun to watch them!!

We are loving the videos and photos of all the birds that visit our yard. I am finding that the solar panel does not adequately recharge the camera however, but this could be due to the fact that we live in Seattle? We’ve had five consecutive days of sun lately, and the battery doesn’t appear to be charging.

Best Christmas present ever! I LOVE it!!! The picture from the camera is super clear.

My wife got me a Bird Buddy for Christmas. There are no instructions in the box - you have to view them online and download an app for your phone. The first step is to charge the camera until a red LED comes on. There is no charger included, and no obvious LED. Apparently it shines through the white plastic camera body. Mine never came on, so I tried again with a different charger and cable. Nothing. I contacted Bird Buddy and they sent me a form email with a list of steps to try, and a promise to get back to me as soon as possible. Every step relied on LED light color to diagnose the problem. My LED never came on. I tried to pair the device with the app on my phone and got the cute message “Yikes, no feeders in sight!” I emailed Bird Buddy again. They never replied so I returned the unit. Don’t they test these things before the ship them?

Easy to set up and so fun to get the photos and videos of birds and get the species names!

Great addition to the backyard. Sleek enough that it looks good but does not stand out too much.

Awesome product! This is literally keeping my wife glued to her phone, watching and discovering new birds.

Very happy I bought this and works as expected. I wish the app was a little easier to use/set up.

This is the best thing since sliced bread for any bird lover!

My mom loved it :) the order process was smooth and delivery was also good. We’re really excited to start using this

Cool Christmas gift for the bird enthusiasts in your life!