# Birdbuddy: ID & Collect Birds — Identify by photo & sound > AI-powered bird identification, collection, and community for nature lovers. (iPhone/iPad app by Buddy Bird Inc.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdbuddy-id-and-collect-birds/id1622355240 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Buddy Bird Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1622355242) - Category: Education, Entertainment - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.80/5 from 61,377 App Store ratings · 655 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.3 · 113 MB - Languages: American English, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Italian - Released: 2022-09-28 - Data updated: 2026-08-28 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdbuddy-id-and-collect-birds/id1622355240/reviews.md ## What is Birdbuddy? Birdbuddy is the world’s most recognized app for discovering and learning about birds – whether you’re using our smart bird feeder in your backyard or identifying birds anywhere with just your phone. Powered by artificial intelligence, Birdbuddy instantly recognizes bird species by photo or sound. Snap a picture, record a song, or let the smart feeder do the work for you. Get alerts when a bird visits, receive collectible postcard photos, and learn fascinating facts about each species. Join a global community of bird lovers and enjoy live bird photos from 500,000+ feeders in over 120 countries – all while contributing valuable data to bird conservation efforts. Key Features: • Identify birds by photo or sound – Use your phone’s camera or microphone to get an instant ID. No feeder required. • Smart feeder integration – Pair with the Birdbuddy feeder for automatic photos, videos, alerts, and postcards. • Collect and learn – Build your collection with each new bird. Explore facts about appearance, diet, calls, and more. • Explore a global birdwatching network – Discover moments of nature shared by our community. • Support conservation – Each bird you identify helps researchers track populations and migrations. Birdbuddy brings the joy of birdwatching to curious beginners and seasoned nature lovers alike. Whether you’re exploring your backyard or out on a trail, Birdbuddy helps you connect with birds — and the world around you. ## Key features - Identify birds by photo or sound - Smart feeder integration - Collect and learn bird facts - Global birdwatching network - Support bird conservation ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Individual monthly | $7.99 | per month | | Individual annual | $69.99 | per year | | Annual | $59.99 | per year | | Family Annual | $89.99 | per year | | Family Annual | $98.99 | per year | | Family Monthly | $9.99 | per month | | Family Monthly | $9.99 | per month | | Family Annual | $89.99 | per year | | Bird ID Pass Annual | $39.99 | per year | | Bird ID Pass Monthly | $3.99 | per month | | Annual | $59.99 | per year | ## Chart rankings - #109 in Top Grossing · Education (US App Store) ## What do users think of Birdbuddy? Overall sentiment: neutral **Pros** - 🚀 Great picture quality - 👍 Fun and entertaining - 🚀 Captures close-up views of birds - 👍 Helpful for bird identification **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy app with poor user interface - 🔋 Battery life issues - 🔒 Difficult to set up and connect to Wi-Fi - 🐛 Inconsistent bird identification - 👎 Too many steps to manage photos **Commonly reported bugs** - App frequently logs users out - Camera module disconnects often - Inconsistent performance and connectivity issues - Incorrect bird identifications **Most requested features** - Ability to customize notifications and alerts - Option to view all photos in a feed instead of individual 'postcards' - Easier way to re-classify or delete incorrectly identified birds - Integrate with other bird tracking apps like Merlin ## Recent user reviews (10 of 655) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdbuddy-id-and-collect-birds/id1622355240/reviews.md ### 3/5 — Was better before AI *2026-08-24, version 3.12.4* This app used to make decent identifications of all birds and the occasional squirrel. Now it will only automatically identify birds if you pay to upgrade, otherwise I need to tell it to identify the bird for me. Half its functionality has been downgraded so the company can say it uses AI… ### 5/5 — Amazing *2026-08-24, version 3.12.4* I love my Birdbuddy! The quality is wonderful and I love that it can identify the different birds. It truly makes me happy to watch them so closely! ### 5/5 — Great feeder *2026-08-24, version 3.12.4* Enjoy the feeder in the morning while I drink our coffee and take pictures. ### 1/5 — Need serious work *2026-08-19, version 3.12.2* I have the bird buddy pro. Filling the feeder spills 1/4 as much as you get in the feeder. The provided hanger has the feeder at about a 30 degree angle. Camera is within 20 feet of 2 different nest WiFi’s and I have to reinstall the camera anytime I want to view. Yeah, great picture but it’s not supposed to be a new part time job. If I bought this instead of receiving it as a gift I would return it. I could build a better one cheaper. Nice materials and nice camera. That’s it. Open the app and I see what’s happening at someone else’s feeder but not my own. Why isn’t my camera the first thing I see I. The app. Can’t view anything on my own camera. And support is non existent. The answers on the site go nowhere except how to set it up. No phone number, no email, no help. ### 3/5 — Never stays connected *2026-08-18, version 3.12.2* If you like watching the circle spin endlessly, this is the app for you. Does not connect to wifi without a bunch of steps that go so slow you get irate. Birds are not that attracted to it anyway. Try a different brand. This one has too much AI stuff to try to make it fancy it just slows it down to being unusable. ### 1/5 — Ruined birdwatching, horrible app *2026-08-17, version 3.12.2* I don't understand how this has good reviews and I think a lot of them are fake. I have the birdfeeder and the app and this is a terrible product. It takes forever to load the livestream even if you lower the quality which you shouldn't have to do. I often can't get it to load at all or it freezes. It almost never tells me when there's a bird at my feeder which is the entire purpose of this thing. I have it on the highest setting to send me the most amount of postcards and I constantly see birds on my feeder and I haven't gotten any kind of alert. Sometimes they'll sit there for five or 10 minutes and I get nothing. Or I'll get an alert five minutes after a bird was there so I can't check it out live. This is seriously a horrible product and I can't at all recommend it. It is ruining birdwatching for me. ### 1/5 — Not a good gift, deteriorating experience *2026-08-17, version 3.12.2* I WOULDN’T BUY BIRDBUDDY AS A GIFT! Update: I just had some deep thinking and felt compelled to further downgrade this app to one star 1️⃣ ⭐️ Overall, I’ve enjoyed using the feeder and app but standard features are now behind THE PAYWALL. Previously, the captured videos were automatically labeled with the species identified. You now have specifically request identification. This is frustrating because, if the species are screened and identified, the app will ignore species you choose to ignore. Why would you want to ignore? Well, I don’t need 20 videos of Cardinals and House Finches every day. I prefer to focus on birds I don’t see as often. If you want the old features back, it’s simple. Just pay for a subscription. So, you may not want to give Birdbuddy as a gift because what you’re actually giving is a MONTHLY BILL. This is noteworthy because the feeders are expensive to begin with. ### 1/5 — Bait and Switch *2026-08-16, version 3.12.2* Used to be great but they continually limit functionality of this app. Now automatic identification of birds is behind a paid subscription - the headline feature the product was ADVERTISED WITH when I bought it. Complaint made and we’ll see how they handle it, but ultimately it makes me wonder what they’ll take away next when they want more money or more interaction with their app. Not a trustworthy company. Look at the alternatives. ### 2/5 — Deteriorating Experience *2026-08-14, version 3.12.2* I WOULDN’T BUY BIRDBUDDY AS A GIFT! Overall, I’ve enjoyed using the product and app but standard features are now behind THE PAYWALL. Previously, the captured videos were automatically labeled with the species identified. You now have specifically request identification. This is frustrating because, if the species are screened, the app will ignore species you choose to ignore. Why would want to ignore? Well, I don’t want 20 videos of cardinals and House Finches every day. I prefer to focus on birds I don’t see as often. If you want your old features back, it’s simple. Just pay for a subscription. So, you may not want to give Birdbuddy as a gift because what you’re actually giving is a MONTHLY BILL. ### 1/5 — Misses SO many birds *2026-08-14, version 3.12.2* I love the ability to connect with nature, but Multiple times a day, I see all sorts of birds at the feeder that I don’t get any postcards for. Not to mention, I’ve constantly got a notification in-app that shows me nothing. The competitors apps work much better, which is disappointing considering how long Birdbuddy has been in the game. ## Frequently asked questions about Birdbuddy ### What does the Birdbuddy app do? The Birdbuddy app uses artificial intelligence to identify bird species by photo or sound. It allows you to get instant IDs, receive alerts when birds visit, collect digital postcards with bird facts, and connect with a global community of bird lovers. It also supports bird conservation efforts by contributing data to researchers. ### How can I identify birds with Birdbuddy? You can identify birds by taking a picture with your phone's camera or recording a bird's song with your phone's microphone. If you have the Birdbuddy smart feeder, it can automatically take photos and videos of visiting birds for you to identify. ### Is Birdbuddy free to use? The app itself is free to download and use for basic identification features. However, it does offer in-app purchases, likely for premium features or additional content, and may display advertisements. ### What devices is Birdbuddy compatible with? The app is designed for mobile devices, implying compatibility with both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Specific version requirements would typically be found on the app store listing. ### What are the main benefits of using Birdbuddy? The main benefits include instant bird identification, learning fascinating facts about different species, building a personal bird collection, and contributing to global bird conservation efforts. It also connects users to a community of fellow bird enthusiasts. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.12.4 — 2026-08-21 Bug fixes and performance improvements ### 3.12.2 — 2026-08-04 Bug fixes and performance improvements ### 3.12.1 — 2026-07-27 Inbox got a fresh new look and a smoother experience all around Bug fixes and performance improvements ### 3.11.1 — 2026-07-15 Bug fixes and performance improvements ### 3.11.0 — 2026-07-03 - General bug fixes and stability improvements - Improved Sound ID model with better accuracy - Smaller Inbox design improvements ## Apps similar to Birdbuddy | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Plant Identifier And Care](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plant-identifier-and-care/id1495963472) | 4.3 (362) | Free | Education | | [Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/identify-birds-smart-bird-id/id1271449623) | 4.7 (16,721) | Free | Education | | [Learn Bird Watching—Larkwire](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-bird-watchinglarkwire/id544499991) | 4.8 (1,276) | Free | Education | | [BirdNET](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet/id1541842885) | 4.0 (212) | Free | Education | | [Learn Toddler Kids Puzzles](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-toddler-kids-puzzles/id452974777) | 4.5 (768) | Free | Education | | [Animal Sounds: Learn & Explore](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animal-sounds-learn-and-explore/id1543642881) | 4.3 (1,554) | Free | Education | ## More apps by Buddy Bird Inc - [Bird Buddy Live](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-buddy-live/id6474043557) - [Nature Chat](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nature-chat/id6744100727) All apps by Buddy Bird Inc: https://appshunter.io/developer/1622355242 ## Related topics [bird buddy](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-buddy) · [happy birdy app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/happy-birdy-app) · [bird buddy pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-buddy-pro) · [my bird buddy](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/my-bird-buddy) · [bird buddy app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-buddy-app) · [get my bird buddy](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/get-my-bird-buddy) · [bird buddy feeder](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-buddy-feeder) · [big buddy](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/big-buddy) · [cookie bird](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/cookie-bird) · [bird watching](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-watching) · [bird watch](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-watch) · [yajiang ecology system](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/yajiang-ecology-system) · [ptice na dlanu](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ptice-na-dlanu) · [frca reveal](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/frca-reveal) · [ibuddygrow](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ibuddygrow) · [ichthus waddinxveen](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ichthus-waddinxveen) · [bumpy birds](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bumpy-birds) · [irecord grasshoppers](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/irecord-grasshoppers) · [jaybird aerial photography](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/jaybird-aerial-photography) · [froggy ribbit](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/froggy-ribbit) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*