Verge editor Thomas Ricker tested Kiwibit’s Bird Feeder 2 Pro and watched pigeons and mice take over.

The Verge deputy editor Thomas Ricker spent $269 on the Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 Pro, a smart feeder with a 4K HDR camera and lifetime AI identification. Within weeks the device sent phone alerts naming visitors such as the Great Tit and Eurasian Blue Tit, and Ricker watched the footage to learn each bird’s migration and nesting habits. The novelty faded when a Common Wood Pigeon landed and blocked the lens.

Ricker is a Verge co-founder and deputy editor who has covered technology for 20 years. He mounted the feeder in his own garden and treated the arriving birds as new pets, naming them and reading about their diets in the Kiwibit app. Kiwibit sells the Bird Feeder 2 Pro with a 4K AI camera and a solar panel, and the unit includes lifetime AI features at a list price of $350, discounted to $269.

The story exposes a common gap in consumer AI hardware: identification works well, but the device lacks the deterrence the owner needs. Ricker triggered the feeder’s Nuisance Animal Alarm, a feature built for squirrels, and the pigeon ignored the siren and kept eating for 15 minutes. Builders shipping camera-based devices should treat pest handling as a core requirement, since one visitor can ruin the product.

Ricker dismounted the feeder and stored it in a closet, and he does not blame Kiwibit for the outcome. His advice to anyone considering a smart feeder is to start simple and inexpensive, without AI, rather than spending on a premium model on day one. Used feeders cannot be returned just because they attract pests.

What matters

• Thomas Ricker mounted the $269 Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 Pro and got AI alerts for small garden birds.
• Camera AI identified the small birds well, but it failed to deter larger animals once they arrived.
• Ricker advises buyers to start with a simple, inexpensive feeder rather than an AI model on day one.

Why it matters

Ricker advises buyers to start with a simple, inexpensive feeder rather than an AI model on day one.

This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by The Verge. Source reference: https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/1007674/smart-bird-feeders-attact-pests-too.

Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.