Coolfly’s Aura smart bird feeder review: More birds are better | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyNotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.NotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.This smart bird feeder captures more of my backyard dramaNotificationsNotificationsComments DrawerNotificationsCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...TechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechAICloseAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AIGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsThis smart bird feeder captures more of my backyard dramaThe Aura by Coolfly is a more practical, less polished alternative to the popular Birdbuddy. The Aura by Coolfly is a more practical, less polished alternative to the popular Birdbuddy. by Jennifer Pattison TuohyCloseJennifer Pattison TuohySenior Reviewer, Smart HomePosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jennifer Pattison TuohyMay 27, 2026, 2:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftIf you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.This smart bird feeder sees more but with less whimsy. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The VergePart OfAll the smart home news, reviews, and gadgets you need to know aboutsee all updates Jennifer Pattison TuohyCloseJennifer Pattison TuohyPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.Since moving to South Carolina’s Lowcountry, I’ve been spellbound by the myriad of beautiful birds that share the coast with us — ospreys raising their babies in towering nests beside the road to my daughter’s school, roseate spoonbills wading in the marsh on my morning walks, eagles circling over my son’s tennis matches, and a constant parade of songbirds through my backyard. The challenge, as every birder knows, lies in catching these moments. And for that, a smart bird feeder is a fabulous tool.These use a small, motion-activated camera embedded in a feeder to capture photos and video of birds visiting your backyard, which you can watch in an app on your phone. Most offer AI-powered bird identification, presenting the species along with a cute clip. No more standing motionless with binos on your porch, balancing a Sibley Guide; the bird life comes directly to you. It’s basically OnlyFans for twitchers.RelatedThis is what a smart backyard looks likeBirdfy’s new 4K feeder will teach you about the birds it identifiesBirdbuddy’s new smart feeders aim to make spotting birds easier, even for beginnersI’ve tested the staple in the space, the Birdbuddy Pro — and loved it so much I bought them for my entire family last Christmas. Then, at CES this year, I spotted the Aura Smart Bird Feeder from Coolfly and was intrigued by its larger size and promise of new, alternative views of my feathered friends.7Verge ScoreAura Smart Bird Feeder$220$29024% off$220The GoodWide field of view shows more avian activityLarge seed hopperExcellent battery lifeFlexible modular designOption of local storageThe BadImage quality not as good as the competition’sAI identification spottyMessy appShorter free recordings and cloud storage$220 at CoolflyHow we rate and review productsUnlike most smart bird feeders, the Aura places its camera beside the feeder instead of inside it, giving you a wider, more natural view of the birds. Its 4MP sensor offers up to 2.5K video through a 150-degree wide-angle lens. It’s much bigger than most smart bird feeders and has to be mounted on a pole or structure, so it could be tricky to find a spot for it in your garden. Still, the overall design is attractive, with a slate-blue metal frame.Birdbuddy is like the finished photo; Aura is behind the scenes of the shootThe Aura comes with two built-in solar panels to keep the battery charged, and although it’s expensive at $290, that’s less than the current $339 list price for the Birdbuddy Pro with solar (there’s a non-solar version for $189.99). The Aura includes automatic AI bird identification and higher-resolution video without a subscription, while Birdbuddy reserves some AI and premium video features for its paid plan, which starts at $70 annually.PreviousNext1/3The Aura is modular; you can choose which side of the feeder to place the camera and add accessories to the platform for more feathered fun — including a fruit fork, hummingbird feeder, and a snack/water container.The overall package is impressive. The Aura has a larger seed feeder, significantly better battery life, and a wider field of view than the Birdbuddy. I got to see a daddy cardinal feeding his baby at the feeder, along with several less sweet avian squabbles — it can be like The Real Housewives of Bird World in my backyard. I also had more visits from larger birds, including a mourning dove, that could more easily perch on the bigger platform. Squirrels were also slightly less of a problem thanks to the metal grille that protects the seeds.But Birdbuddy’s AI proved more accurate in my testing, and on its free tier, you still get AI-powered identification, you just have to do it manually in the app rather than automatically getting the bird’s species in the clip. Birdbuddy also stores longer clips for more days for free — though it lacks the Aura’s local microSD storage option.While I did enjoy Aura’s wider view, its image quality isn’t as good as Birdbuddy’s. Testing them both at 1080p and 2K, I found Birdbuddy’s footage consistently crisper, while Aura introduced occasional artifacting and wasn’t as detailed. I also preferred the close-up images the Birdbuddy delivers, because they’re more intimate and unusual than those the Aura captured. The Aura can switch between portrait and landscape views in the app. But the portrait just looks like a digital crop and was less sharp, so I kept it in the full landscape view.The app is the weakest aspect of the Aura; it’s busy, unintuitive, and takes several taps to get to the full feed of videos of your visitors. Also, some clips started with an empty bird feeder, and I had to keep watching to see what (if anything) was there. This isn’t a security camera; it’s supposed to delight rather than document everything. Birdbuddy is selective about what it shows you and more reliable for sharing high-quality visits with good images. Birdbuddy does have a “frenzy mode” if you want to capture every visitor, but it definitely kills the battery life.The Coolfly app takes a bit of getting used to as it’s cluttered and not very user-friendly.It takes several taps to get to this feed of bird videos.The Aura’s battery life is impressive. I’ve had it installed for almost two months, and the battery is still fully charged, thanks to its two built-in solar panels. That’s better than most security cameras I’ve tested. The Birdbuddy, which also has solar panels and was in the same spot in my yard, had to be recharged three times.Aura’s connectivity was also more reliable for me; it consistently loaded livestreams and captured most every visit. I use a mesh Wi-Fi system, which Birdbuddy acknowledges can cause issues. For me, that meant occasionally going offline, videos failing to load, and missing some action, although things have improved recently. The only problem I had with Aura was that when I moved the camera to the other side or adjusted its position, it stopped recording consistently. At first, moving it back fixed the issue, then turning it on and off again after repositioning it had it up and running reliably again.PreviousNext1/3The large feed container requires fewer refills.Overall, Birdbuddy offers a more polished experience, but Aura’s better battery life and less frequent feed refills are compelling. Which works best for you depends on whether you want a more curated backyard birding experience or just want to capture as much activity as possible. In terms of which is better for seeing the birds, think of it like this: The Birdbuddy is like the finished photo; the Aura is behind the scenes of the shoot. True birders will probably want both!If you’re considering the Birdbuddy, it’s worth noting that the redesigned Birdbuddy 2 launches later this year with a larger hopper, wider field of view, and a lower $200 price.Photos and videos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The VergeFollow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Jennifer Pattison TuohyCloseJennifer Pattison TuohySenior Reviewer, Smart HomePosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Jennifer Pattison TuohyAICloseAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AICamerasCloseCamerasPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All CamerasGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsReviewsCloseReviewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReviewsSmart Home ReviewsCloseSmart Home ReviewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Smart Home ReviewsTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechMore in: All the smart home news, reviews, and gadgets you need to know aboutGoogle is turning Google Home into a “full-stack AI offering.”Jennifer Pattison TuohyMay 21The cost of the smart home is going upJennifer Pattison TuohyMay 21I’m tackling all your robovac questions.Jennifer Pattison TuohyMay 21Most PopularMost PopularJony Ive’s Ferrari looks nothing like a FerrariUber president says AI spending is getting ‘harder to justify’Google Health is here, but a lot of people want their Fitbit app back insteadNvidia has retired its GeForce Control Panel app after 20 yearsYou’re about to feel the AI money squeezeThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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The Aura Smart Bird Feeder by Coolfly is presented as a practical, less polished alternative to established options like the Birdbuddy, focusing on capturing a broader view of backyard avian activity rather than elaborate presentation. This review assesses the devices through the lens of smart home and Internet of Things technologies, comparing their functionality, image quality, user interface, and sustained performance. The fundamental mechanism for both devices involves using embedded motion-activated cameras to capture visual data of birds, often incorporating artificial intelligence for species identification.

A key differentiator for the Aura is its physical design and sensor placement. Unlike some competitors, the Aura positions its camera beside the feeder rather than inside it, which results in a wider, more natural field of view, utilizing a 4MP sensor with a 150-degree wide-angle lens to capture up to 2.5K video. This hardware is integrated into a modular platform, allowing users flexibility to mount the camera and add supplementary accessories such as fruit forks or water containers. Furthermore, the Aura boasts two built-in solar panels, contributing significantly to its impressive battery life, which the reviewer noted lasted nearly two months, outperforming the Birdbuddy, which required three recharges under similar conditions. The modular design also allows for adaptable placement and the addition of features.

In contrast, the Birdbuddy is characterized by a more polished and refined user experience. While the Aura emphasizes scope and power, the Birdbuddy is praised for offering more reliable and crisp image quality, delivering footage that consistently appears sharper than the Aura’s, even when tested at 1080p and 2K resolutions. The reviewer found that the Birdbuddy excels in providing intimate and detailed close-up images, whereas the Aura sometimes introduced artifacting, particularly in portrait views, and the overall visual fidelity was slightly inferior to the competition.

The differences extend to the software and connectivity experience. The application experience for the Aura was described as cluttered and unintuitive, requiring multiple taps to access the feeds. Conversely, the Birdbuddy’s application is considered more user-friendly and reliable for sharing high-quality visual content. Regarding data capture, the Birdbuddy offers longer free recordings, whereas the Aura provides local microSD storage, a feature absent in the Birdbuddy. While the Aura incorporates automatic AI bird identification, the reviewer found the Birdbuddy’s AI identification more accurate during testing. The Aura manages connectivity reliably, though the reviewer noted occasional issues when repositioning the camera that required restarting the recording.

Ultimately, the choice between the two devices depends on the user’s priority: the Aura excels in providing a larger field of view, superior battery endurance through solar charging, and less frequent feeding requirements, appealing to those prioritizing comprehensive activity capture. The Birdbuddy offers a more curated, high-fidelity viewing experience with superior image detail and a more intuitive digital interface. The review concludes that the Aura is compelling due to its battery performance and package size, while the Birdbuddy delivers a more polished and reliable documentation of bird interactions.