The Verge Test: AI Bird Feeder Wins Small Birds, Then a Wood Pigeon Takes Over

Within days, hundreds of small tits came to eat expensive sunflower seeds that had already been husked, the writer said. The birds would wait in nearby trees before darting in to grab a single seed and retreat to the canopy. The writer watched the recordings, looked for unique markings in the hope of naming the birds, and used the Kiwibit app to read about their migration habits, nesting locations and preferred foods.

Then a common wood pigeon arrived. The alert read, “Looks like Common Wood Pigeon!” but the writer saw only a battleship-gray blob blocking the live camera feed. The pigeon was large enough to obscure the lens. The writer triggered the feeder’s Nuisance Animal Alarm, a feature normally used for squirrels and similar animals. The pigeon tensed and looked around, but the audible siren did not deter it; it soon returned to eating. It ate for 15 minutes until the writer walked outside and shooed it away.

After that, the writer said, the pigeon or pigeons moved in. They would perch for 30 minutes or more, slamming their faces into the seed pile, and mice arrived below to feed on the spill. The writer dismounted the expensive feeder and put it in a closet.

The writer did not blame Kiwibit. The tested product, described as “Bird Feeder 2 Pro 4K AI Camera with Solar Panel (Lifetime AI Included),” was a joy to use until it was not, according to the account. The writer advised anyone tempted by a smart bird feeder to start with something simple, inexpensive and without AI rather than going all in on day one, because a used feeder cannot be returned merely because it attracts pests.