One great addition to every backyard is a bird feeder. There’s nothing quite like enjoying a beverage underneath a pergola and watching birds come and go nearby. Although, sometimes you might’ve wished you could show your friend or family member the beautiful birds that visited your home. Now, with the advent of the residential bird feeder with camera lens, you can do exactly that. In this article, we’ll compare some of the most popular bird feeders with cameras and answer some common questions.
How Much Does A Bird Feeder With Camera Cost?
Unfortunately, the bird feeder with camera lens model is not mainstream enough for manufacturing costs to achieve economies of scale. Therefore, these neat products are still rather expensive, especially if you wish to install more than one. Unless you stumble upon a rare deal, you can expect to pay $150 – $250 for a bird feeder with camera. The bird feeder with camera model is still in its infancy, similar to massage guns 10 years ago or other cool advancements. Therefore, we expect the cost to decrease over time, but not for another 5-10 years.
How Does A Bird Feeder With Camera Work?
As the name suggests, these special models have a traditional bird feeder with a camera attached. The camera is pointed at the opening where birds feed from and the cameras can work in two ways. First, capturing a picture or video when motion is detected. Second, app-controlled picture or video by you, the homeowner. When you notice birds nearby, you can open the cameras app on your phone and have a front row seat to the birds feeding on your seed. This invention is especially great for bird feeders installed high enough up that it’s hard for you to enjoy a view.
Nearly all of these bird feeder with camera models are waterproof. With the ones we tested, they were built fairly resistant to wind via their installation methods. By nailing the bird feeder into a tree or the side of a home, you combat any shaking from inclement weather. The best bird feeders with cameras even come with a microphone but that is sure to be disturbed when wind or other noises pollute the area near the feeder.
How To Choose A Good Bird Feeder With Camera
Having tested several feeders, we found some flaws with the lower end models. It can be tempting to buy an inexpensive camera bird feeder but you must understand that they are cheaper for a reason. For example, we found a great deal on this lesser known bird feeder with camera and thought there was finally an affordable option. However, this poorly designed bird feeder ended up helping us form criteria on what a good bird feeder with camera should feature since it was so low quality.
This particular bird feeder had poor installation theory and was very small. Therefore, using this test and several others, we defined what attributes you need to confirm when buying a bird feeder with a camera.
- Size/Angle – Is the feeder hole large enough and at a good angle to capture bird activity?
- Installation Test – Will a light breeze or other minor weather affect the use?
- Night Vision – Can you easily discover birds in the evening or early morning without adding a light?
- Rain Protection – Is there a short overhang to prevent the camera and food from getting soaked?
If you find a bird feeder with a camera that checks all of these boxes, it’s probably good quality. The problem with the first bird feeder we tested was that it used a chain to hang from a branch or nail for installation. Therefore, every time there was a breeze, the bird feeder would shake back and forth, deterring birds and ruining the camera picture. To make matters worse, the feeder hole was small so the pictures of birds rarely come out intact – usually only half of their bodies would make it in frame.
3 Best Bird Feeders With Cameras
- Best Bird Feeder With Camera: NETVUE Birdfy AI Bird Feeder Camera
- Runner Up: NETVUE Birdfy Feeder Lite Camera
- Runner Up: BirdDock Smart Bird Feeder with Camera
- Runner Up: NUOTUN Smart Bird Feeder Camera
- Watch Birds On Your Phone Anywhere, Anytime. NETVUE smart bird feeder with camera can auto-capture & Identify all coming birds, and you will receive real-time notifications of feather visitors via the phone app. This revolutionary smart bird detective camera allows you to close up shots full of character and provides the best experience to upgrade your birdwatching journey. You will never miss out feather friends!
- Free AI Forever to Identify 6000+ Bird Species. Wanna know what species of the detected birds are? This smart bird feeder camera with the world’s leading AI algorithm recognizes more than 6000 types and species of birds for you. You can look up further details and introduction of the bird species in the Netvue app with the recognition result. Meanwhile, it can accurately identify squirrels, and you can drive away squirrels by flashlight, siren, or just say “Go away” through the microphone.
The Netvue Technology model blew our mind on how good a bird feeder with camera could perform. We must emphasize, there are many bird feeders with cameras on the market. All three of the feeders above are worth recommending. However, the Netvue is superior to both the BirdDock and Nuotun.
Why did we love the Netvue birder feeder so much? First, the Netvue camera features full color night vision whereas the other two cameras have night vision but only in white and black. In our opinion, the bird’s colors looked even better at night with the Netvue camera than they did during the day.
Next, the Netvue app offers bird AI. This idea sounded too good to be true to us at first. However, their technology actually works extremely well. It can even help educate you on exactly the species of bird that is visiting your bird feeder. Lastly, Netvue also offers accessories for their bird feeders that allow you to decorate and extend the size of your feeder perch.
Bird Feeder Camera Summary
It’s time to toss out the binoculars. The advent of the bird feeder with camera functionality has changed bird watching for good. While these devices are still in their infancy, there are a few quality models to choose from. Our favorite is the Netvue bird feeder with camera. No matter what bird feeder you’re considering, always be sure to confirm some features. You’ll want night vision, a sturdy installation method and some form of rain protection.
