I think we’ve reached the point where we can agree that Matter – while slow to start – is becoming a desirable element for smart home tech. To such an extent that it’s one of the things we look for when buying smart home devices.
This is less of an element in the garden, of course. Smart lawnmowers, while they exist and remain a few years behind the robot cleaner, don’t have Matter. On the other hand, irrigation and soil sensors have been included in Matter 1.5, so it seems to be something the industry is building up to. Given it features cameras and Matter is moving towards support for doorbell and security cameras, this seems like a missed opportunity.
A bird feeder with AI ambitions
First we got exterior lights, then smart plugs, and pergolas, but who could have imagined a smart bird feeder, enhanced with an AI camera, could one day be positioned in your garden, ready to feed and film winged visitors?
TP-Link Tapo Smart Outdoor Plug P400M
The TP-Link Tapo Smart Outdoor Plug P400M, certified by Matter, features two independently controlled outlets and dual antennas for extended Wi-Fi range, designed to withstand extreme weather with an IP65 rating, and supports voice and remote control for outdoor appliances up to 1800W.
Govee RGBWWIC Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro
The Pro version of these Permanent Outdoor Lights brings native Matter support and brighter LEDs.
PERGOLUX Skydance S3
A bold, weatherproof pergola with a motorized louver roof, integrated lighting, and smart control, designed to elevate luxury outdoor spaces.
The Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 Pro 4K AI Camera is equipped with a solar panel, and takes avian curiosity to a whole new level. It’s designed not only to provide seeds, it films the birds that land, listens, observes, and records. This device isn’t just a piece of elaborate garden tech – it actually has an additional, underlying purpose to contribute to our knowledge of what birds do, where they go, and how they communicate.
What is the Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 Pro 4K AI Camera with Solar Panel?
The Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 Pro combines a traditional bird feeder with an AI-powered wildlife camera. Equipped with a solar-powered 4K camera, onboard microphones, and Wi-Fi connectivity, it can identify bird species, record visits, and build a picture of activity in your garden over time.
Rather than simply capturing images, the feeder's Taxonomo AI platform analyses visual data, bird calls, behavior patterns, seasonal information, and species databases to identify visitors and generate reports. Kiwibit says the system can recognize more than 10,000 bird species and even distinguish between individual birds.
In many ways, it's less a bird feeder and more a specialized outdoor smart camera built around wildlife observation.
But how smart is it?
Taxonomo can recognize individual birds, contextualizing sightings using seasonal and behavioral data. It isn’t included simply to identify a robin or a blackbird, but to build a picture of bird activity over time.
Free users get real-time live-streaming, and a few other features, but more features are supported with a paid subscription, including deeper Taxonomo support and custom bird naming.
A smart feeder that feels... dumb?
Having a bird feeder connected to Matter could be very useful if you want to take advantage of the unit in a specific way. Perhaps other Matter garden tech could be deactivated during a bird feeding session, or interior noise reduced, to give the winged visitors a bit of peace and quiet.
I would really like to see a device like this that doesn’t just do all of those smart, AI-enhanced tricks, but is also an actual part of your smart home. As things stand, the Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 Pro 4K AI Camera with Solar Panel doesn’t support that level of integration and automation.
Matter may not currently have a place for AI-powered bird feeders, but devices like this highlight how the smart home is gradually expanding beyond the walls of the house. If irrigation systems, soil sensors, and outdoor cameras can become part of the Matter ecosystem, it doesn't seem unreasonable to imagine wildlife monitoring devices eventually joining them.
