Hard to believe, but smart bird feeders have been around for six years.

The idea started with Birdbuddy (then styled Bird Buddy), which launched a Kickstarter campaign in November 2020 for the world’s first app-connected, AI-powered smart bird feeder. Birdfy followed in 2021 with its first camera-equipped feeder, and today the two companies remain the most popular brands in the smart bird-feeder space, with a sizable catalog of offerings, including smart bird baths and smart nesting boxes.

Thanks to two new releases from Birdfy and Birdbuddy, you can now get a premium smart bird feeder experience for under $100—something that just a year or two ago would have cost $200 or more.

I tested both Birdfy’s Rookie and Birdbuddy’s Nook in my backyard for four weeks each, noting annoyances, especially helpful features, and which features were available without a subscription.

While both have a significant number of pluses and minuses, Birdbuddy’s Nook, despite costing $20 more and failing to capture every visit, came out just slightly ahead due to its more premium hardware experience.

Released in October of last year, Birdfy’s Rookie was positioned as a smart feeder for beginners, with USB-C charging only, no solar (though you can buy a more expensive model that has it), and no complicated assembly process. 3-liter seed capacity and a camera on the side—just snap the three main pieces together, charge the camera, and you’re good to go. It can only be pole- or wall-mounted, not hung.

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