Every bird enthusiast has probably heard of Birdfy and Birdbuddy smart bird feeders, but a handful of competitors have quietly been refining their models over multiple generations—to the point where they’re starting to outpace the OGs in engineering, features, and design. Kiwibit is one of them.

I tested Kiwibit’s first feeder, the Beako, in mid-2025 and was impressed by its robust plastic body, removable dual-sided seed reservoir, and three-minute video captures—there was nothing quite like it at the time, and almost all of its features were available sans subscription. However, the optional rooftop solar panel stopped working after six weeks, which kept it from being a pick in my guide to the Best Smart Bird Feeders.

The Beako’s subsequent update, the Feeder 2, made the solar panel standard on all units, upped the panel’s output from 4.4 to 5 watts, and fixed the longevity issue—it’s currently my top pick for Best Design. The Feeder 2 Pro, meanwhile, has totally redone the camera to offer phase detection autofocus (PDAF) in 4K HDR—one of the most impressive smart feeder hardware offerings on the market. The companion app upgrade, however, still has some kinks to work out.

I tested the Feeder 2 Pro for a total of four weeks: one week at the non-subscription tier, and three weeks with Kiwibit Plus (also alternately referred to as “Family Premium” or “Premium Family), which at $90 a year offers AI ID, 60-day cloud recording (the feeder also supports microSD storage up to 512 GB), and new gallery views and roundup reports.

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