The Best Gifts for Bird Lovers, Tested by WIRED’s Resident Bird Nerd

Smart seed feeders are wonderful, but come with their own list of challenges, including pillaging by squirrels and rats, plus fields of sprouted seeds. If you'd rather not deal with the aforementioned but still want to see birds up close, then a smart hummingbird feeder might be a more low-maintenance choice. Sure, you still have to change the nectar every few days, but if you're not able to site a feeder where squirrels won't ravage it, this is the smart hummingbird feeder I like most, with an easy-to-maintain reservoir and exceedingly user-friendly app.

Most bird lovers have a nest cam they enjoy checking in with (for me, it's the bald eagles in Big Bear Valley, California), so why not gift your friend or family member the chance to create their own? This smart birdhouse not only looks great in any yard, it contains a 1080p camera connected to an app that's primed to collect images and collate ready-made, shareable “stories” of its residents. I didn't have any takers when I tested this in my yard this spring, but plenty of other users have had success, so I wouldn't hesitate to try again. I also like that there's a remote on a long cord, so you can charge the camera and reset it without bothering any nesting birds.

Phone cameras are getting better and better, but photos taken with that tiny lens aren't going to win you any awards. If you want more detailed and dramatic photos from your birdwatching expeditions but don't want to schlep a full camera setup around, try a professional-grade phone lens. WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu has tested several of these from Moment and recommends the 1.33X Anamorphic Lens for cinematic video, the 10X Macro Mobile Lens for close-ups, and the 14-mm Fisheye Mobile Lens for fun.

To use these lenses, you'll need a Moment Phone Case (available for recent iPhones) and, if you have an iPhone, the $5 drop-in lens mount in order to screw the lenses into the case. iPhone owners will want to use Moment's Pro Camera app, and Julian also recommends this filter, which can help cut glare from bodies of water and shoot long exposures. Note that Julian doesn't recommend buying these lenses if you have a Google Pixel or Samsung phone, as Moment seems to have stopped making cases for Android.

“Adults like stickers too,” reads the inside cover of this 20-page, spiral-bound booklet, and it's true—especially when said sticker is an otherwise staid illustration of a cardinal saying, “Thanks for making me look normal and well-adjusted.” The book features 40 stickers (four of them the vintage puffy kind) of field guide-style bird illustrations accompanied by sarcastic sayings. Some are unimaginative or just downright weird, but the conceit is still funny, and the stickers are of decent quality and adhere well to everything from bookshelves to vacuum cleaners to street signs. It's a great secret Santa gift for a bird-loving coworker or stocking stuffer for an ornithologist relative.

This camera-equipped birdbath from Birdfy, maker of our favorite smart bird feeder, will send your recipient entertaining 1080p photos and 2K videos of their favorite birds—and other backyard visitors—drinking, bathing, or just pausing to ponder their next move.

I tested the Bath Pro for several months, and my favorite part was actually the non-bird visitors who showed up—squirrels, raccoons, and even a large spider triggered lots of funny footage for me to watch, save, and send. The birdbath's shallow reservoir has a tendency to attract algae in the sun, and the foam filters are easily clogged and must be cleaned often (it comes with extra filters, which was useful for me when a raccoon reached in and made off with one, for some reason). But the solar pump works well, the Birdfy app is fun and easy to use, and some connection issues I encountered during my first-round tests seem to have been mitigated with a recent app update.

Show your ornithological bent everywhere you go with this bold-print tropical bird tote bag by Miami-born designer Christopher Martinez-Fonts. Made of pebbled vegan leather with a snap closure, it measures 18 x 12 inches and will easily fit a 16-inch laptop, along with binoculars, bread for pigeons, or whatever else you take on your daily journeys. I was surprised by how comfortable it was to carry, even with heavier items. You can also choose brown or black for the handle.

If your recipient has an existing bird feeder they like, or a seasonal nesting site somewhere around their home or property, they might love a stand-alone bird camera. This one is the best I've tested, compatible with both 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz Wi-Fi networks. The cute green owl face streams 4K HD video and pushes 1080p pics to the Hibird app. There's access to AI identification (which I found to just be OK), livestreaming, and Hibird's “Dr. Bird” Chat GPT-like help feature, which allows you to ask bird-related questions. (I didn't find it to be particularly helpful, but YMMV.)

The auxiliary solar panel can be mounted separately, or you can just take the camera inside to charge when the battery runs out, as I did—the battery charge lasts at least several weeks. The camera comes with a bracket and bendable arm for precise positioning, or you can jury-rig a custom solution. No subscription is needed for use, though a Hibird rep says that may change in the future.

This 8- by 11-inch hardcover by famed ornithologist David Sibley (known for his Sibley field guides) may be too big and too heavy to fit in a backpack for field reading, but it remains the definitive source for interesting bird facts. Did you know mallard nestlings have only a 15 percent chance of fledging and that once they're hatched, fewer than half of ducklings survive? And that jays in the northeastern US often eat paint chips in search of calcium, which doesn't occur naturally in that region's soil? Or that chickadees specifically seek out spiders to feed their young for the first week after they hatch, as spiders are high in taurine? Whether you want to or not, you will know all these things and more if you give someone close to you this book.

If you've ever wondered how many birds live in North America, this poster displays all 740 of them in one chart, both native and nonnative, arranged by size and order. It's both educational and a surefire conversation starter. In fact, I’ve had this chart framed in my home's entryway for almost eight years, and I don’t think a single person has visited my house for the first time and not commented on it, regardless of their ornithological interest level. It's really fascinating in person, and even if your giftee is already well-versed in birds, they'll probably still learn something new.

I originally bought this suction-cup window feeder to entertain my son when he was young, but the most enthusiastic audience ended up being my two cats. When the feeder is up, they spend all day crouched below the window, bodies tense and waiting for the perfect moment to leap out at an unsuspecting finch or sparrow. Thankfully, this never seemed to deter the birds. The suction cups kept it perfectly positioned, even when squirrels sit on it, so it’s perfect for apartments or anywhere a pole- or wall-mounted feeder wouldn't make sense. This is a perfect gift to bundle with a bag of mess-free birdseed, below.

Feeding birds is fun and all, but these little dinosaurs are savage when it comes to picky eating. Like toddlers at the dinner table, anything they don't want (like millet)—as well as the hulls and shells of what they did—gets thrown on the ground. Once water gets on these unsightly middens, the seeds sprout, so all of a sudden you have weeding to do on top of filling and cleaning the feeders.

If you're gifting a feeder or feeder accessories, consider throwing in some mess-free seed. Cool Birds makes a couple versions that also contain capsaicin (the chemical compound that makes peppers spicy; it only bothers mammals), ostensibly to keep away squirrels. Most squirrels are only temporarily deterred by this, but there are also non-spicy varieties. I tested the “Hearts on Fire” hulled sunflowers, and while it mainly attracted finches and related songbirds, I appreciated that less feed ended up on the ground and I could wait longer in between refills.

Portland, Oregon-based publisher Pomegranate makes a whole line of puzzles featuring stylized bird-themed art by the late modernist artist Charley Harper. My family first spotted them years ago in the gift area at a local garden center, and since then, we've either bought or been given nearly every Charley Harper puzzle the company has made. The frame-worthy designs include tropical birds, desert birds, coastal birds, raptors, migrations, and more, with pieces ranging from 500 to 1,000. I'm hard-pressed to find a favorite.

Until reading this book, I had never heard of Blakiston's fish owl. And apparently neither had the author, bird-watcher and biologist Jonathan Slaght, until he caught sight of one—the world's largest living owl. What followed was a five-year passion project to catalog the owl in a remote region of eastern Russia. Part travel adventure, part scientific study, part memoir, this much-lauded nonfiction book reads like a novel and will be a page-turner for anyone who enjoys birds, exploration, or the outdoors.

A lot of backyard birders use nyjer seed, an herb native to Africa, because squirrels shun it and it doesn't tend to sprout on the ground like traditional feed. You can place it in a regular tube-style feeder, but I prefer using a seed sock, which the birds seem to like better—it's more authentic to the experience of pulling a seed out of dried flower heads. Nyjer seed is particularly tasty to finches of all kinds, but the chickadees in my yard like it as well.

Because of nyjer's oil content, it's a great seed to add in the winter for extra calories, but if you are using a seed sock, make sure to take it down when it rains, as the moisture could make the seeds moldy.

Note that it may take a while for your feathered friends to discover the nyjer seed, especially if they're not used to it or alarmed by the appearance of the sock. My backyard birds took about a week, but other sources say it can take up to three, so don't give up if it's not an immediate hit.

I'm not usually someone who is perpetually cold, but I have spent many a blustery fall evening or winter day looking for owls, and there are times when a jacket just isn't enough. Especially if you're standing stationary for a while, waiting for the perfect photo opportunity, or for a head to pop-up from inside a nest. Heated jackets are admittedly a little gimmicky—they only heat in certain areas, like the shoulders, chest, and back, and aren't as warm as you think they'll be. And many of them, this one included, have a light on the front that advertises to everyone you pass that you are wearing a heated jacket, prompting them to comment on it. (An introvert's nightmare, which is a problem, as the Venn diagram of introverts and bird-watchers has heavy overlap.)

But if that doesn't bother you, layering this jacket under a waterproof shell or overcoat will make a huge difference in how long you can stay out on a nasty day. Note that women's sizes run short in length and long in the arms, so if you like jackets that cover your behind, I recommend choosing a different brand rather than sizing up.

The best birding doesn't always happen in pleasant weather. (If you're looking for owls, for example, the best time is in winter, when the leaves are off the trees.) If you want to protect gear such as binoculars, cameras, and notebooks, you'll need a weatherproof backpack. This 26L waterproof roll-top is one of WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson's all-time favorite day packs, with a 400D polyamide exterior and seam taping. The padding is minimal, but Scott said in his guide to the Best Day-Hiking Backpacks that he found it to be perfectly comfortable up to about 10 to 12 pounds.

WIRED reviewer Simon Hill, our staff board game aficionado, says this award-winning card-driven game will appeal to anyone interested in birds, as it pairs strategy with plenty of educational information about different bird species. It can feel complex at first, so it's probably best for families with kids older than 10, but once you get the hang of it, it can be addictive. (Up to five people can play, but you can also play solo.) Playing time is 40 to 70 minutes.

My husband and I received this feeder basket and some suet cakes as a gift about 10 years ago. The basket has fallen on the ground countless times; been chewed on and used as gymnastics equipment by squirrels; and survived windstorms, snow, and pretty much everything Pacific Northwest winters have to offer. Sure, it's seen better days looks-wise, but it still does the job.

Suet—beef fat, if we're being explicit; the solid-form cousin to rendered tallow—attracts a different variety of birds than seeds, primarily insect-eaters like woodpeckers and bushtits. It tends to melt and go rancid in the heat, so I like the melt-free hot pepper variety, which can be used year-round and has been deemed unpalatable by our neighborhood squirrels.

If you love birds, nothing beats seeing them up close and personal, conducting all their birdy activities. I have learned more about birds in the past year of testing smart bird feeders than I have over my entire lifetime, such as the fact that cowbirds will lay their eggs in other birds' nests (such as juncos') and the “host” birds will raise the cowbird chicks as their own, even if they look nothing alike. Or that jays and other corvids are scatter-hoarders, and will spend an entire day picking nuts out of a feeder's seed mix to hide caches around the yard. There are many smart seed feeders on the market—if you've never tried one before, I recommend the Rookie, above—but Birdfy's high-quality basic model stands out for its balance of price, features, reliability, and usability without a subscription, making it a great gift option I've personally given.