Birdbuddy has launched two new smart bird feeders ahead of the holiday season, including the compact, budget-friendly Birdbuddy Nook (starting at only $99). The other is a next-generation flagship model, the Birdbuddy Home, which retails for $219 and replaces the Birdbuddy Pro.
Both feeders initially debuted at CES 2026 as the Birdbuddy 2 mini and Birdbuddy 2, respectively. As of Oct. 22, they’re now widely available for purchase at various retailers.
Birdbuddy sent me both models to try ahead of their release. Since it can take a while for wild birds to find new feeders, I enlisted the help of my pet parrot, Melon, to evaluate their upgraded cameras. (He also helped me test out Birdbuddy’s AI-powered species identification feature, which you can read about here.) Here’s what stood out to me as I unboxed them and set them up in the front yard of my Chicago apartment.
Birdbuddy Nook: A basic smart feeder for under $100
The Nook is a small, minimalist hopper feeder that’s ideal for tight spaces like balconies and patios. Its modular design comes in a cute sage green finish.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
The Nook is much more affordable than the Birdbuddy Home, but it requires more maintenance. It can only fit about three and a half cups of birdseed, so it needs more frequent top-ups. And its $99 base model doesn’t have solar charging capabilities; you’ll have to monitor its battery life and bring it inside to sit on an outlet occasionally.
You’ll get a solar roof attachment if you opt for the Birdbuddy Nook Solar ($159) or the Birdbuddy Nook Extended Edition ($199.99), which also includes a larger perch and a Birdbuddy Family Premium membership. You can buy the bigger perch à la carte for $34, but full disclosure: I could not for the life of me figure out how to install it without possibly stripping its screw holes.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
Based on my initial testing, the Nook Solar is an essential upgrade for three reasons. First, I like not having to worry about charging my feeder. Second, I think the Nook looks a little cheap and unfinished without its roof — there are little gaps on the sides where it’s meant to snap on. Thirdly, the USB-C port where its roof plugs into its battery is located right in the middle of its reservoir, and it’s a pain to clean tiny seeds and dust out of it.
Birdbuddy Home: A bigger smart feeder with all the fixings
The Home is an all-in-one hopper feeder with two built-in solar panels, dual-band WiFi for a more reliable connection, and a taller reservoir that can fit around five and a half cups of seeds. A bright red-orange perch accents its slate blue finish.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
The Home has the same mic and camera as the Nook, but adds a built-in speaker. It chirps the first time you install the camera and verbally guides you through the app and WiFi pairing process.
Between the Nook Solar and the Home, I prefer the latter. It has a hatch in the back that makes seed refills easier, whereas you have to remove the entire top of the Nook to access its reservoir. Additionally, the Home has two solar panels on either side of its roof, so it’s more likely to get ample sun exposure. The Nook’s roof attachment only has a solar panel on one side.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
The Home also comes in an Extended Edition ($249.99) with a bigger perch and a Family Premium membership.
Birdbuddy camera quality
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
Both new Birdbuddies have an updated 2K HDR camera with a scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass casing. Here’s how it compares to the shooters on older Birdbuddy feeders, which had an oblong design instead of a round one:
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It’s faster at pairing with the Birdbuddy app (I can attest to this — it only takes a few seconds)
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It has a wider field of view (135 degrees versus 122 degrees)
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It works in landscape or portrait mode
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It “wakes up” faster once the feeders’ motion detectors sense a bird
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There’s no longer a delay on its livestream
Before I mounted the Home outside, I bribed my parrot Melon into stepping in front of its camera by putting a few peanuts in its tray — his favorite treat. A couple minutes later, the Birdbuddy app sent me a “postcard” with a 30-second video clip and six photos it took automatically during his visit.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
The clip Birdbuddy recorded had very clear audio and colorful, detailed picture quality, but its photos weren’t all that great; one was a blurry close-up of Melon, and the five others were of his back. I took some more shots manually using the photo capture feature on the Home’s live feed and they turned out much better.
Photos taken by the Birdbuddy Home automatically.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
Photos taken with the photo capture feature on the Birdbuddy Home’s livestream.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
The Birdbuddy app tells me that Cooper’s hawks, red-breasted nuthatches, and white-throated sparrows have been spotted near me this week. Let’s hope they’re ready for their close-up.
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