Bird Buddy’s new Smart Hummingbird Feeder lets you watch even more of your feathered friends (2024)

FAQs

Bird Buddy’s new Smart Hummingbird Feeder lets you watch even more of your feathered friends? ›

It will use the same built-in AI and camera module technology as the company's original — and super-popular — Smart Bird Feeder, but is built to specifically attract and identify over 360 hummingbird species. You can view close-up images, live streams, and catalog each bird to track your backyard's biodiversity.

The roughly $200 Bird Buddy can be accessorized with mounts, a solar panel to reduce the need to charge the batteries, and additional feeding attachments like a suet-ball holder.

The Bird Buddy is a really cool bird feeder. It was bought as a gift and my dad loves it as well. We both enjoy getting notifications that the bird buddy has visitors and get pictures and videos of birds. I also really love that it identifies the species of bird.

The camera takes five-megapixel photos and 720p HD live-streamed video. It is capable of 1080p video clips, though you'll need to pay for a Bird Buddy Pro membership ($2.50 per month for an annual membership or $2.99 per month for a monthly plan).

“We have tried a lot of hummingbird feeders, and our current favorite one is the Aspects HummZinger HighView 12-ounce feeder,” Kenn and Kimberly say. “The red top makes it highly visible, so it catches the attention of these tiny fliers. It's very easy to clean, and we almost never have a problem with wasps or bees.

For now, you can test the live stream by navigating to the Settings section of the app and clicking on your feeder's name to access its settings. This way you can check if the feeder is working and if you're happy with its field of view. In the "Check camera position" section, you'll find the "Test live stream" button.

Hummingbirds have an instinct to protect their food sources, because in nature, a patch of flowers will produce only so much nectar in a day. The tiny birds carry this defensiveness over to artificial feeders. The best way to keep one hummingbird from dominating a feeder is to put up several feeders in different spots.

Hummingbirds require a completely different type of feeder than the rest of our bird friends. Hummingbird Feeders are filled with nectar, which can easily be table sugar and spring water, and need to be cleaned before each refill.

Now it's time to set up Bird Buddy in its new outdoor home. To keep your feathery visitors as safe as possible, we recommend that you mount your Bird Buddy instead of leaving it on a flat surface. Placing your Bird Buddy above ground offers birds extra protection from predators.

Do you need wifi for Bird Buddy? ›

Bird Buddy cannot access mobile data networks, but it can use your phone's hotspot in a pinch. 2.4GHz Wi-Fi generally provides more expansive coverage and will be able to extend the signal outside your living space.

The Bird Buddy's battery is quick to charge and slow to drain. The battery can last between 5 days and 2 weeks depending on: how active your feeder is. if you've set your app to send just a few postcards or went full “Frenzy mode”

It is connected to the camera module via a USB-C cable that is safely tucked under the exterior of the feeder to prevent any weather or water damage. You should be able to see a little lightning bolt icon and "charging" status on the feeder battery's status when the solar roof is exposed to direct sunlight.

Here's how it works: Detection: A bird needs to be near the center of the perch to activate our laser motion detector. This ensures the bird is in a prime position for photos. Recording & AI Assessment: After the detector is activated, the Bird Buddy captures photos and videos.

The camera module passed production tests and acquired a rating of IP67. This means it's perfectly protected from dust or sand entering the module and that it can also withstand heavy rain. However, we still recommend that the module itself is not completely submerged in water for longer periods of time.

Bird Buddy review: Price and availability

The basic Bird Buddy costs $199, and includes everything you'll need: the bird feeder, the camera, and a small canister to help load birdseed into the feeder.