Birdfy Feeder 2 Duo Review
Are two cameras better than one for capturing birds at such close proximity to the subject? Well, Birdfy thinks so—and they’ve designed the Birdfy Feeder 2 Duo to prove it. But does doubling up really mean double the detail, double the fun, or just double the complexity? Let’s dive in and see for £399/$419 how well this smart feeder performs in real life?
Design
Build and stylings are shared across from the first Netvue Birdfy Smart AI bird feeder that’s still getting regular visits from the birds in our garden. Plastics have proven durable and washable. IP66 camera housings keep the elements at bay, with clear camera windows protecting what’s inside without obstructing the view. What’s different this time is the overall scale—it’s bulkier. But not to a fault. The Birdfy Feeder 2 Duo has an intentional presence that feels robust and more assured in stormy weather if out in more open spots and now has more lenses.
For a birdhouse, it’s quite stylish too with its sweeping roof, visible seed reservoir, and spacious perch that can even see owls make use of it, all making it look like an attraction in your garden. Rather clever as it can double for a security camera too, with the ability to notify when it sees people not just birds.
Setup
Being slightly wider than the other Birdfy feeder we have, the Feeder 2 Duo requires a bit more thought when choosing a mounting spot. Whether you're fixing it to a broad tree trunk, a wall, or a post, the box includes all the necessary gear to support your chosen method. Setup remains beginner-friendly thanks to clear visual guides, and this version arrives more pre-assembled than before — only the perch needs clicking into place.
We opted to mount ours on a pole this time using the supplied fastenings, which are generous and versatile enough for most trees, poles, or walls. The included bracket makes maintenance easy — just lift the feeder off to clean or refill, which is especially helpful if it's positioned high up. The mounting kit is also provided for the solar panel, and in our case, we secured it to a wall-mounted stand. This has worked well so far, with a dual USB-C cable delivering power to multiple cameras.
As before, syncing the camera units to Wi-Fi and the Birdfy app is a matter of a few simple taps and some patience as it updates firmware. Each camera needs to be set up separately, and to our surprise, aren’t actually linked within the app interface as a single bird feeder, so that dual camera view marketed by the company is a bit different to what we originally thought. We’ll get onto this.
App
The Birdfy app offers a live feed for real-time bird watching, along with a timeline of recordings neatly organized by date and time — giving you a window into the wildlife just outside your door, wherever you are. You can now filter bird activity across multiple days by species it’s detected, making it easier to browse and revisit specific sightings over time. The app also allows remote control of the feeder’s settings, which is especially useful for frequent travellers. You can adjust motion sensitivity, set a do not disturb schedule, and filter notifications by category — but no longer including people, parcels, vehicles, and pets, which is a shame. Notifications continue to come through promptly when motion is detected, even of humans, we must say, and you can choose to save moments either to a microSD card or, as we do, take advantage of the free unlimited cloud storage. Due to near-constant bird visits from dawn until dusk, we ended up disabling all notifications and just set to be alerted of rare and new bird sightings.
Performance
Even though we haven’t tested the Birdfy Feeder 2 Duo through a full year of weather yet, our confidence is high. The original Birdfy feeder we installed back in March 2023 has handled all seasonal conditions remarkably well. The only maintenance it’s needed was reconnecting the USB-C cable from the solar panel to the camera after a fierce storm dislodged it — a rare blip in an otherwise hands-off experience. The 5W solar panel continues to perform brilliantly, powering the internal 9000mAh batteries of both cameras. Throughout our testing, we’ve never checked the live view to find the feeder offline, and the Wi-Fi connection has been rock solid. In fact, battery levels typically remain near full.
The cameras have received a massive upgrade in visual quality compared to our other Birdfy feeder. The Duo model actually offers three distinct perspectives: the main dual-lens camera (featuring a 3MP 2K portrait lens and a 2MP 1080p ultra-wide lens) and a side camera with its own 2MP 1080p lens. With sharper optics for close-up bird action, we can now see individual feather details and observe in full 2K HD (from the main portrait lens) each crumb of food being scoffed—all in real time on a strong Wi-Fi connection. This also means the AI (with a free lifetime subscription) can make a better attempt at identifying species both to the AI and to the human eye. Compared to the previous model, we’ve also noticed a better focal range—distant objects now appear far more detailed, adding a subtle but useful surveillance edge to the feeder. Plus, both cameras have speakers and microphones, allowing communication through them from anywhere using the app.
2K HD front facing ‘Pro’ camera
Something we were initially confused about with the Duo feeder is that we thought the side view camera would be shown in sync with the ‘Pro’ front view camera model. But both cameras are actually treated separately in the app and aren’t tied together in any way. That dual view, as marketed by the brand, is only something the main camera produces with its dual-lens setup featuring a wide-angle lens and the portrait lens. As we’ve mentioned, the latter lens is sharp and produces great-quality content throughout the day—from scorching bright sunshine to overcast dull days. The ultra-wide lens looks rougher and relies more on light to capture details but does oscillate left and right within the camera to track birds, which is a neat feature.
The separate side camera produces a cleaner image than the ultra-wide lens, using a 2MP 1080p sensor. So in total, the feeder gives three different perspectives, ensuring any visiting animal is captured from multiple angles. This isn’t just useful for identifying different species—it’s also surprisingly entertaining to watch a European robin graze on seed from different viewpoints, making it much harder to miss anything that lands for a feed. Night vision is also present and seems slightly improved with infrared sensors that allow more subtle and clear monochrome captures after dark, plus there’s a flashlight too.
1080p Side camera
So far, the app’s history has recorded visits from a regular robin, a curious owl at night, and a small flock of western jackdaws and a wood pigeon. It can even stitch together the full encounter from both angles if you want to share it anywhere. Downloading and sharing is made very easy via the app—you can even upload your special captures to the Birdfy community and view other people’s footage from around the world.
Verdict
If you already have the original Birdfy and love it, the Duo doesn’t replace it—it complements it. But if you're just getting into smart bird feeders, this is a compelling choice. With smarter optics, dual angles and three lenses, and the same weatherproof reliability, AI bird recognition, and solar-powered assurance, the Birdfy Feeder 2 Duo is as much a wildlife camera as it is a feeding station and has a side gig as security, turning any corner of a garden into an interactive wildlife stage.
