Never Miss a Backyard Bird Again – 16 Smart Feeders That Capture Charming Footage and Look Good Doing It

These bird feeder cameras effortlessly blend into the garden, so you can enjoy visiting wildlife without compromising on style

The Cut: Smart bird feeders
(Image credit: Future)
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A smart bird feeder is one of the best upgrades you can get for your garden. They capture real-time footage of the birds that visit your yard, which you can view from your phone – it's a joy you'll never tire of. In fact, many smart feeders have accompanying apps with AI recognition to identify the bird species caught on camera, giving you a better idea of which types of birds visit your garden and how you can support them.

This garden tech also doesn't compromise on beauty, with so many sleek, aesthetically pleasing bird feeder cameras on the market. They can, of course, be a bit of an investment, but there's an option for every budget. For example, Birdfy's top models (explore the range on Amazon) come with lots of extra features, including sharing access across the family, or you can opt for something like this simple $18 hanging smart feeder from Walmart if you're testing out whether a smart feeder is right for you.

You can even get smart hummingbird feeders (like this Humbirdy one from Walmart) to capture activity during the hummingbird migration this fall. Just take care to clean your hummingbird feeder (and all bird feeders) regularly to keep backyard wildlife safe. If you have other types of birds visiting your garden, such as woodpeckers, wrens, and blue jays, a smart bird feeder with space for suet (like these suet blocks from Amazon) is a good option. For example, this metal smart feeder from Target has capacity for both suet and seed.

Ultimately, when looking for the right smart bird feeder for your yard, reliability is one of the most important factors – especially if the price point is higher. So to help you out, we've collated 16 of the best (and most beautiful) smart bird feeders from our favorite brands below.

With your new smart bird feeder acquired, you can start thinking about where to place your bird feeder. Ideally, it should be in a quiet, undisturbed corner of the garden. The fact that smart feeders have a camera actually means you don't have to worry about placing it where you can view activity from the house, but rather choose a spot where birds can enjoy the food peacefully.

Likewise, there are plenty of bird feeder mistakes that can attract rats to the yard that you should avoid. This includes not cleaning feeders, leaving fallen food on the ground, and not storing food securely.

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Tenielle Jordison
Tenielle Jordison
Gardens Content Editor

Tenielle is a Gardens Content Editor at Homes & Gardens. She holds a qualification in MA Magazine Journalism and has over six years of journalistic experience. Before coming to Homes & Gardens, Tenielle was in the editorial department at the Royal Horticultural Society and worked on The Garden magazine. As our in-house houseplant expert, Tenielle writes on a range of solutions to houseplant problems, as well as other 'how to' guides, inspiring garden projects, and the latest gardening news. When she isn't writing, Tenielle can be found propagating her ever-growing collection of indoor plants, helping others overcome common houseplant pests and diseases, volunteering at a local gardening club, and attending gardening workshops, like a composting masterclass.