While bird watching is a fun and fascinating hobby that can be enjoyed by all ages, it is a time-consuming passion. Traditionally bird photography has only been enjoyed by photographers who could invest in long telephoto lenses, as well as a camera for wildlife, and the best lenses for bird photography tend to be very expensive and heavy to use.
But why not let the birds come to you? The best bird feeder cameras have made the technology smaller, more affordable, and easier to use. Bird feeder cameras come in several shapes and sizes and are very intuitive to use – pairing with smartphone apps almost instantly so that you can take photos and monitor the feeder's live feed.
I have included options for anyone who wants a whole package that contains the feeder and camera that is quick and easy to set up like the Bird Buddy Smart Feeder, but more advanced users might prefer some of the options that allow you to add your own outdoor camera like the Wasserstein Bird Feeder Case. I've selected the best bird feeder cameras at a range of price points, settings, and designs to suit all budgets.
With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a number of product categories. As well as being a drone fan, he's a DIY enthusiast (whether his family likes it or not!) That means installing a lot of tech – he even wrote The Smart Smart Home Handbook on the subject.
The Quick List
The Bird Buddy Smart Feeder can identify birds and remind you of when they visit with phone notifications, so you can be quick to spot them.
The Netvue Birdfy Smart Bird Feeder Camera isn't as cheap as some bird feeder cameras on the market, but offers AI technology.
Wasserstein Bird Feeder Camera Case lets you take a camera from your favorite home security system and use it to watch the birds.
Built from durable materials and despite being one of the more affordable cameras on our list, it offers slow motion video up to 25 fps, and there are 940nm LEDs for recording footage in low light.
If you're tech-savvy and good with wires then this handy camera can be mounted in an existing bird box or feeder in no time offering a full HD 1080p video.
This bird feeder comes with an accompanying solar panel to simplify power supply - and has AI tech that will help you identify and display the visiting birds on your phone.
The best bird feeder cameras in 2024
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Best bird feeder camera overall
The Bird Buddy Smart Feeder offers an engaging and well-crafted way to immerse yourself in nature right in your own backyard. Not only is the feeder itself expertly designed and visually appealing, but the accompanying app enhances the experience with its delightful interface and intuitive navigation. The feeder itself is built with a design with birds' safety in mind, and the product itself is IP65-rated – to ensure weatherproofing.
The built-in camera can be set up to automatically take pictures of birds that visit your garden or backyard so that even when you're not around to see a rare bird, you still get a chance to encounter the sighting. The camera experience had a few flaws, delivering excellent photo quality yet occasionally faltering with video, but the thrill of receiving notifications about visiting birds never fails to spark excitement.
While particularly suited for families with children who will enjoy the colorful and fun interface and facts, even adults (like myself) will find it thoroughly enjoyable. The app can identify birds and remind you of when they visit, keeping records of all your feathered visitors.
Read our full Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder review
Best bird feeder camera for an easy setup
The Netvue Birdfy Smart Bird Feeder Camera is one of the more expensive bird feeder cameras on the market, but it's a good buy for keen birdwatchers or those who want to know the comings and goings in their garden with help from AI technology. Likewise, the bird recognition smarts could be a good way to get younger users into wildlife. You can check the bird feeder at any time from your phone, and hear them, too, thanks to the built-in microphone.
With a decent 1080P live camera, and the ability to identify 6000+ bird species, it's easy to see why the Netvue has become a popular option. Installation is quick and friendly, and you can turn notifications on and off if you don't want to be pinged when a bird has visited. The bright, plastic design might put off some users, especially those with a more natural-looking garden, but this does make it easy to clean.
It's the easiest camera in this guide to set up and use, and the battery is long-lasting. You only have to hope that the birds want to visit when you do!
Read our full Netvue Birdfy Smart Bird Feeder Camera review
Best home security camera hybrid
The Wasserstein Bird Feeder Camera Case is a good option if you already have one of the best outdoor security cameras and want to use it to watch the birds in your garden. It goes without saying that this product is just a waterproof housing with a plastic bird food feeder, and it works with Blink, Wyze, and Ring Cam models.
In our test, we were impressed with the impressive 26.4 oz of bird feed capacity and its durable, weatherproof but not fiddly construction. The case comes with a strap so that you can easily mount it to small trees or poles, while there's also a metal wall mount for larger trees or walls. The feed falls around the safely ensconced camera, and the security camera services offer automatic recording – the downside being that the lens is so close to the birds it struggles to focus.
Despite the high price of this feeder case (given that it doesn't come with a camera like the Netvue Birdfy at the top of our guide), our impression was positive overall. You can see the pictures we got in the full review.
See our full Wasserstein Bird Feeder Camera Case review
Best birdfeeder camera for durability
The Technaxx Bird Camera is a durable and camouflaged option, with a removable food and water container. Its closest focusing distance is 6-15cm, while it has a viewing angle of 100 degrees. Like the Netvue Birdfy camera, it also has a built in microphone and speaker (although we're still not sure convinced as to why you'd need the former).
Despite being one of the more affordable cameras in our list, it offers slow motion video up to 25 fps, and there are 940nm LEDs for recording footage in low light. Rated with a protection class IP56, the Technaxx Bird Camera is likely to stand the test of time when left outside in your garden.
Best birdfeeder camera for tech fans
This kit includes a bird feeder, wooden mount and the Green Feathers Wildlife Wi-Fi Bird Box Camera, which can also be bought separately and placed in a bird box.
This 1080p Full HD camera is housed in a water-tight casing rated IP68, so you won't have to worry about leaving it outside. It also offers night vision, and a Starlight chip for low light imaging. Assembly this kit is simple enough – you simply attach the waterproof camera to the wooden mount, hang up a bird feeder and watch birds flying in to get their food.
Unlike the Netvue, Birdfy and Palprot cameras, this product is designed for viewing on a tv or monitor, and it comes with a 20-meter cable to transmit video from the camera and power it, too. In theory, you could watch the bird life from your living room TV, although this might take a bit more wiring than a smartphone app.
Solar powered bird feeder
We love that this bird feeder gives you so much tech for an afforable price (at least, in some places). A bird feeder is a security camera for the wildlife in your garden, and they need constant power to work - so burn through batteries, or are fiddly to wire up to the mains supply. Birdkiss get round this by supply a 3W solar panel as standard - taking a lot of the faff out of having a bird feeder camera. Its 5000mAh battery can be charged indoors in weeks were there is little or no sunshine.
With built-in wifi, it can link up to the internet and not only show you the feathered visitiors on your phone, it can also identify them for you using its AI interface. Clips are stored in the cloud for your for three for three days – but you can also use a microSD memory card for storage too.
How to choose the best bird feeder camera
If you are looking for shots of birds that are going to win you competition prizes, then currently no camera on this list is going to give any of the best cameras for wildlife a serious run for its money. The cameras in this guide are for hobbyists and bird enthusiasts who want to keep tabs on the feathered friends in their backyards.
It is simple to pick the right bird feeder camera for you based on how much you value each of the following criteria:
Mounting options: Consider where you might want to put your bird feeder, as some come with tree mounts, or fittings to mount them on a wall, some bird feeders come with all the necessary mounts in the box, while some are optional extras that can push the price up quite a bit.
Power source: Some bird feeder cameras run off traditional batteries, while others can be recharged via USB-C or even solar power. Check the quoted run times for each camera, as removing the camera frequently to charge it could disrupt the birds. This is especially crucial if you are putting your camera somewhere not easily accessible! You don't want to be getting your ladder out of the garage every few weeks.
AI bird recognition: Several bird feeder cameras on the market now come with AI tech to recognize thousands of different species, and they can be set to alert you when they land on the feeder. If you want to increase your bird knowledge, this feature might help you – but the AI technology isn't always accurate, of course! If you are using a feeder that uses an outdoor security camera, while it might have AI recognition for movement, it won't provide the rounded experience that cameras specifically geared up for birds will.
Video output: Most bird feeder cameras come with a standard resolution of 1080p, which is more than adequate for monitoring birds but not really high enough for extracting high-quality stills. Some outdoor security cameras now offer 4K resolution, but often at a premium cost. If you only plan to share your videos on social media, then 1080p is more than enough resolution, but if you hope to do more with your photos and videos then check out our picks for the best camera for wildlife.
What is the best camera for bird photography?
If you are serious about bird photography, then bird feeder cameras are not really for you. You should look at the best camera for wildlife photography, which will give you the best options for capturing birds with lightning fast autofocus, stunning image quality and great video. Our current top pick is the Canon EOS R5 for its amazing bird recognition autofocus, 45MP stills and 8K video!
Where is a good place for a bird feeder camera?
You should position your bird feeder camera in a place where birds can feel safe, so they enjoy hanging out on your feeder. This means keeping the feeder far enough away from loud noises, pets, and children which might scare birds away. However, you don't want to put the bird feeder too far out of reach, as you will need to visit it on occasion to refill the feed and charge the camera.
How we test bird feeder cameras
We test out bird feeder cameras by putting them through real-world testing for several weeks or months. Usually, it takes much longer for us to test bird feeder cameras than other camera products, as after putting up the bird feeder, it can take a very long time before our local birds feel comfortable enough to visit the feeder and get our first footage to begin the review.
As a camera website, we know exactly what to expect from different cameras in terms of photo and video quality, and we have a lot of experience assessing cameras in all shapes and sizes. This means we are perfectly positioned to not only judge how well each bird feeder camera performs in isolation but also to compare it to the competition as we have in this guide.
We also assess bird feeders for factors such as build quality and price, but also care for the birds, with careful consideration to the materials used and birds' safety when using the feeder.
All this means that we can confidently recommend and stand by any product we have reviewed.
Find out more about how we test and review at Digital Camera World.