AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from The Verge, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

---

The reviewer purchased a $350 Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 Pro to observe birds in their garden. The device uses AI to identify species and send alerts to the user’s phone. For several days, the system correctly identified dozens of tiny colorful birds, such as Great Tits and Eurasian Blue Tits. The reviewer found this experience enjoyable, noting that hundreds of miniature tits visited to eat sunflower seeds while watching them in 4K HDR video recordings.

The situation changed when a Common Wood Pigeon arrived. The bird was so large and fat that it blocked the camera lens entirely. When the reviewer activated the Nuisance Animal Alarm feature, designed for squirrels, the pigeon was not deterred by the audible siren. It continued to eat for 15 minutes until the reviewer physically shooed it away. Subsequently, pigeons and mice began frequenting the feeder, with birds perching for over 30 minutes and slamming their faces into the seed pile.

Despite the pest issues, the reviewer stated they are not mad at Kiwibit because the tested unit was a joy to use until it attracted pests. The reviewer suggested that people tempted to buy a smart bird feeder should start with something simple, inexpensive, and without AI features instead of going all in on day one. They noted that used feeders cannot be returned just because they attract pests.