Although the feeder is designed for hummingbirds, when paired with its companion app, it can identify a wide range of species using AI and alert you when they arrive. Using a motion-activated 2K camera, it can capture 5-megapixel stills, slow-motion clips, and HDR video, which it can then automatically save. The camera can capture a bird’s finer details, while its wider field of view helps capture multiple birds in a single frame. Plus, it’s designed to handle low-light conditions well, so you can still get a view whether it’s dawn or dusk.
The app also includes a few fun extras. You can share clips with up to 10 people, and if you grow fond of a specific bird that keeps returning, you can even give it a name and ask the app to track it every time it flies back. The feeder can also help you protect your feathery friends and send you notifications when it detects that a bird is sick or when cats or dogs are nearby. Just bear in mind that some of these features, including the ability to name birds and track returning visitors, require a Birdbuddy Premium subscription, which starts at $69.99 a year.
Given it’s a feeder at its core, Birdbuddy’s smart hummingbird feeder can hold about 1.75 cups of nectar. It also carries an IP67 waterproof rating and is designed to withstand a range of temperatures — from below freezing to as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The solar roof also helps keep the camera’s battery topped up even when it’s cloudy outside, though you can always recharge it via USB-C if needed. And should the weather ever get too extreme, both the roof and camera are just as easy to detach and bring indoors as they are to set up.