Birdkiss Smart Bird Feeder With Solar Panel Review

The Birdkiss Smart Bird Feeder with Solar Panel ($249.99) puts a contemporary spin on the yard staple. This house-shaped plastic feeder consists of a cloud-connected security video camera that can inform you when a bird (or other animal) concerns feed. It even assures to inform you what types is going to, though we discovered its precision to be less than im-peck-able in screening, and its video quality is sufficient at finest. Even so, the Birdkiss is a hoot for yard birders who make sure to delight in seeing what’s coming for a snack.

A Smart Bird Feeder?

Let’s face it: From the birds’ viewpoint, there’s no genuine factor for a feeder to be wise. As long as there’s a consistent supply of food and sufficient cover to safeguard from predators, birds will indulge. But for bird watchers, including a linked video camera to the mix is a cool technique, one that lets you delight in the relaxing vibes of nature from anywhere.

A Wi-Fi antenna on the back and a security video camera in advance are visual signs that this isn’t your common bird feeder
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Birdkiss isn’t the just wise feeder on the marketplace. Competitors like the Netvue Birdfy(Opens in a new window) series are comparable in principle, with external photovoltaic panels leveraged to keep their electronic cameras powered. Others like the Auxco Bird Feeder(Opens in a new window) and Bird Buddy(Opens in a new window) put the photovoltaic panels right on the roofing system, a more creative technique.

We’ve not yet checked rivals to examine their photo quality and app functions, however aside from aesthetic appeals, seed capability, and minor variations in style, the competitors is comparable in principle and in the very same ballpark price-wise.

Simple Setup

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Birdkiss ships in a huge cardboard box. I was a little frightened when very first opening it up, anxious that I had actually registered for an Ikea building and construction task. But it showed quite simple to create, as the 3 primary parts snap together without tools. The roofing system has a depend upon one side for simpler seed refills.

My partner leapt in for support and looked after the task in under a half hour. She made the effort to check out the printed handbook, that includes clear detailed directions in big print. We’ll call this out as a plus, particularly when numerous tech gadgets ship with small handouts that require a magnifying glass to analyze.

There’s not excessive to the Birdkiss as soon as you get it out of package—budget plan 20 to thirty minutes for assembly
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Once you have actually got the feeder put together, you’ll wish to charge the video camera completely. You can renew it through the on-camera micro USB port, or through a USB-C port nestled into the side of the feeder’s blue plastic top. A USB-C photovoltaic panel is consisted of to keep the battery complemented, however its sluggish drip charge is simply sufficient to keep the video camera powered throughout the day—make certain you charge the video camera completely prior to handing charging responsibilities over to the photovoltaic panel.

The Birdkiss ships with a photovoltaic panel that offers sufficient juice to keep its battery complemented
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Next up, you’ll wish to set up the VicoHome app. Make sure to look for VicoHome in the App Store or Google Play Store, as Birdkiss does not create a lead to either. The app is complimentary to download, however some functions (consisting of the promoted bird types acknowledgment) need a membership—we information strategy choices even more down the page.

As for installing, Birdkiss suggests you discover an area in your lawn with good Wi-Fi protection. Like numerous wise home items, the Birdkiss does not talk with 5GHz networks; it’s 2.4GHz just. Thankfully, the 2.4GHz band of my home network extends well into my yard. I selected a good area with medium-strength protection for my set up point.

The feeder features an installing base that deals with basic bird feeder poles. Alternately, it can be protected onto a structure utilizing the consisted of anchors and screws. While setup of the feeder itself is tool-free, you’ll wish to have a power drill convenient if you choose to install it to a wall.

I decided to tree-mount the Birdkiss, however pole installs work too
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

I picked to utilize the consisted of Velcro strap to install the feeder to a tree. I placed the photovoltaic panel base above it, utilizing consisted of screws to secure it to the tree. The install consists of a ball-and-socket joint that turns to set the panel’s angle, so you can change it to guarantee it will get a lot of sun.

VicoHome App and Plans

I packed the VicoHome app on my iPhone 13 to test the Birdkiss. The app is likewise available for Android. Setup went off without a drawback—the app triggers you to switch on the video camera, which beeps and reveals a blue light on start-up. Next up the app look for your video camera, then triggers you to link it to your home network.

Birdkiss consists of 3 tiers of paid memberships—you’ll require to spend for a represent complete access to functions
(Credit: Birdkiss/VicoHome)

VicoHome provides complimentary, Basic, Plus, and Pro strategies. The complimentary strategy consists of 3 days/500MB of cloud storage; Basic costs $2.99 a month and consists of 15 days/3GB of storage; Plus is $4.49 a month and consists of 30 days/5GB; and Pro is $7.99 monthly for 60 days/10GB. Discounts are available for subscribing in three-month or 12-month blocks instead of month-to-month billing.

In addition to the storage, the paid strategies include push notices, the capability to restrict the scope of movement detection (Activity Zone), and access to the Bird Fans Plan, a totally free add-on that assures to acknowledge more than 10,000 types of birds.

On the iOS platform, membership billing is done through Apple Pay. I’m a fan of this approach, as it makes it incredibly simple to cancel. For brand-new users, a 30-day trial of the Plus strategy is consisted of.

If you do not wish to spend for a membership, the video camera consists of a microSD slot. I attempted it with a 64GB SanDisk card and it worked as anticipated, putting videos into the DCIM folder with subfolders for each day of action.

The VicoHome app supports a live view, reveals your cloud video library, and supports basic sleep scheduling
(Credit: Birdkiss/VicoHome)

As for app functions, they’re quite simple. You can appear to see video from the video camera to start a recording or snap an image. Two-method audio, an alarm, and a light are likewise consisted of, and there’s a scheduler available to set bedtime. If you do not wish to squander battery life overnight when birds aren’t active, it’s a good concept to establish a schedule. Unfortunately, I could not discover any choices based upon regional sundown and dawn times.

There’s a choice to share access to the Birdkiss with loved ones. They’ll require to download and set up the VicoHome app, once that’s done it’s simply a matter of scanning a QR code to provide gain access to.

Species recognition gets things incorrect regularly than right
(Credit: Birdkiss/VicoHome)

The Bird Fans Plan promises to tell you when a bird is visiting the feeder, and that works very well. It also promises to tell you what species is stopping by for a snack. Unfortunately, the Birdkiss often gets it wrong.

Over the course of a few weeks, I had typical spring visitors for my area: black-capped chickadees, downy woodpeckers, house finches, northern cardinals, tufted titmice, white-breasted nuthatches, and white-throated sparrows were frequent diners.

The species recognition got these right sometimes, but more often than not, it’d throw out crazy suggestions: bright red male cardinals are flagged as scarlet ibises, black incas, or Papuan lorikeets (to name a few). The duller female cardinal is often tagged as Major Mitchell’s cockatoo(Opens in a new window), which, I can assure you, it is not. It would usually get white-throated sparrows correct, but it failed to recognize chickadees consistently. I reported the accuracy issues to a representative for Birdkiss, who told me “[Birdkiss is] continuously working to optimize our AI recognition system and are actively addressing the specific issues you’ve mentioned.”

I fed a photo from the Birdkiss app into Merlin Bird ID, a free app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and it did a much better job tagging the right species
(Credit: Merlin Bird ID/Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Time will tell if things get better. At press time, the app doesn’t seem to take the size of the bird or your geolocation into account, which means it’s trying to match up against a much wider data set than it needs. If you’re new to birding it’s unwise to rely on the Birdkiss to tell you what kind of bird you’re seeing. Instead, we recommend the Merlin Bird ID(Opens in a new window) app, which supports photo-based bird recognition, works well, and is free.

Video for Social

The security camera that lives at the heart of the Birdkiss records HD video in MP4 format to a memory card and/or the cloud. Its default clip length is 20 seconds, which makes for a 4.5MB MP4 file. You can snap pictures too, but they are just frame grabs from video—2MP each in JPG format.

A female northern cardinal stops and mugs for the Birdkiss camera
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The low bit rate (1.7Mbps) H.264 footage is a bit pixelated, even in good light, and the 1080p/15fps quality is OK for phones, but suffers when viewed on a bigger screen. A date and time stamp are embedded in the top left corner and cannot be turned off. The ultra-wide 135-degree angle of view is able to get a good portion of the blue seed tray and orange perch in the frame. The camera angle is adjustable, so you can set it to see more or less of the seed tray. I got the best results with a slight downward angle.

Smartly, focus is set sharpest up close, so the birds are in clearest focus, while distant subjects are slightly blurred and pixelated. Infrared kicks in for nighttime footage, though you shouldn’t expect much activity after sunset. I had a few early morning cardinals visit, and included a just-before-sunrise clip of one in the sample reel embedded above.

If you’re looking for footage that calls for David Attenborough narration, it’s just not here. We haven’t tested Birdkiss’ competitors, but most use similar security camera setups, so a huge disparity would be surprising.

I had more nuthatches, chickadees, and titmice in my yard after setting up the feeder, giving me the chance to readily grab pictures like this with a mirrorless camera
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

For those seeking better footage from the on-feeder perspective, consider a DIY solution with any old feeder and a quality action camera like the GoPro Hero11 Black or the DJI Osmo Action 3. Otherwise, pick a comfortable nearby spot and grab a long-lens camera or an ultra-zoom phone like the Samsung Galaxy Ultra S23 to snap some photos.

Outdoor Tech: Will It Last?

The hinged lid opens for easy filling, but at one point clever squirrels were able to knock it off the feeder entirely
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Birdkiss is meant to be used outside and includes some weatherproofing measures. The security camera itself is weatherproof to IP65 specifications and is shielded from the elements with a plastic housing and roof. The feeder’s USB-C charge port faces down and is protected by a thick rubber gasket. In the three weeks I spent testing it, it kept working, and the solar panel kept the battery topped off even on gray days.

The downward-facing design isn’t entirely without issue, though. My particular feeder installation is definitely not squirrel-proof, and at one point I walked out to find the USB-C cable disconnected from the solar panel. While I don’t have direct evidence, I suspect a squirrel knocked the cable loose while climbing up to nab some food. This is one area where feeders that offer solar lid options have a leg up—there’s less chance of a cable coming undone.

This local squirrel loves seed as much as any bird
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

As for the squirrels, I spent my first week in a cold war with the normally cute backyard rodents, who found the basic wild bird mix to be an appealing, convenient meal. (Switching from a mix to straight safflower seed deterred them.) The feeder holds 1.25L of seed; I found myself going to fill it every four to five days. The feeder ships with a few holders for fruit if you want to attract robins, orioles, or others that enjoy oranges and apples.

I’m happy that the wide Velcro strap handled the weight of squirrels without a problem. There’s little danger of the feeder falling to the ground once secured. It survived a very nasty patch of spring weather, a storm that generated lightning, winds, and some hail.

Is the Birdkiss Feeder Worth It?

Like many smart home products, the Birdkiss takes a long-running concept and finds a way to add a cloud-connected tech element. Basic feeders can be DIY projects or impulse purchases during a weekend trip to the hardware store, but the Birdkiss carries a hefty $249.99 asking price, or a bit less if you catch it on sale.

A house finch grabbing some safflower seed
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Even with this in mind, I had a ball watching bird alerts pop up on my phone on days when I was stuck inside working on the computer. On the downside, the video quality isn’t great—a 4K camera with less aggressive video compression would be a welcome upgrade. And I’d like to see sleep schedules built around sunrise and sunset times to better conserve power.

Likewise, the AI species recognition gets things incorrect more than right, and while Birdkiss says it’s working to improve the feature, it’s not something I’d recommend paying for, though you may still find the cloud features to be worthwhile. For fans of no-cost, local storage, the camera includes a microSD slot.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

So if you think you’ll love a tech toy like the Birdkiss, you probably will. It doesn’t deliver on all of its assures, but it’s a fun distraction from the daily grind and a way for naturalists to get a better view of neighborhood fauna.