The 19 Best Tried and Tested Gifts for Bird Lovers (2025)

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• A Smart Seed Feeder

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    Courtesy of Birdfy

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    Photograph: Medea Giordano

  Netvue

  Birdfy Plastic Smart Bird Feeder

  If you emotion birds, thing beats seeing them up adjacent and personal, conducting each their birdy activities. I person learned much astir birds successful the past twelvemonth of testing astute vertebrate feeders than I person implicit my full lifetime, specified arsenic the information that cowbirds volition laic their eggs successful different birds' nests (such arsenic juncos') and the “host” birds volition rise the cowbird chicks arsenic their own, adjacent if they look thing alike. Or that jays and different corvids are scatter-hoarders, and volition walk an full time picking nuts retired of a feeder's effect premix to fell caches astir the yard. There are galore astute effect feeders connected the market, but Birdfy's high-quality basal exemplary stands retired for its equilibrium of price, features, reliability, and usability without a subscription, making it a large acquisition enactment I've personally given.

• For Beginning Birders

  

  Photograph: Caramel Quin

  Bushnell

  Powerview 2 8x21 Binoculars

  Experienced birders astir apt already person a decent acceptable of binoculars, but for the birding-curious, kids, oregon idiosyncratic conscionable starting out, prime binoculars and a life database diary ($19) would marque a large gift. WIRED contributing reviewer Caramel Quin declared these the Best Budget Binoculars. I bought a acceptable for each subordinate of my household for a cruise to Alaska this summer, and I'm gladsome I did. They're lightweight (7.2 ounces) yet sturdy, with an aluminium casing alternatively of plastic, and they're tiny capable to gaffe into a pouch if you'll beryllium hiking and don't privation to woody with them astir your neck.

• A Smart Hummingbird Feeder

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    Photograph: Kat Merck

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    Photograph: Kat Merck

  Bird Buddy

  Pro Smart Solar Hummingbird Feeder

  Smart effect feeders are wonderful, but travel with their ain database of challenges, including pillaging by squirrels and rats, positive fields of sprouted seeds. If you'd alternatively not woody with the aforementioned but inactive privation to spot birds up close, past a astute hummingbird feeder mightiness beryllium a much low-maintenance choice. Sure, you inactive person to alteration the nectar each fewer days, but if you're not capable to tract a feeder wherever squirrels won't ravage it, this is the astute hummingbird feeder I similar most, with an easy-to-maintain reservoir and exceedingly user-friendly app.

• A Smart Birdhouse

  

  Photograph: Kat Merck

  Birdfy

  Nest Polygon Smart Birdhouse

  Most vertebrate lovers person a nest cam they bask checking successful with (for me, it's the bald eagles successful Big Bear Valley, California), truthful wherefore not acquisition your person oregon household subordinate the accidental to make their own? This astute birdhouse not lone looks large successful immoderate yard, it contains a 1080p camera connected to an app that's primed to cod images and collate ready-made, shareable “stories” of its residents. I didn't person immoderate takers erstwhile I tested this successful my gait this spring, but plentifulness of different users person had success, truthful I wouldn't hesitate to effort again. I besides similar that there's a distant connected a agelong cord, truthful you tin complaint the camera and reset it without bothering immoderate nesting birds.

• A Funny Stocking Stuffer

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    Photograph: Kat Merck

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    Photograph: Kat Merck

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    Photograph: Kat Merck

  Brass Monkey

  Salty Birds Sticker Book

  “Adults similar stickers too,” reads the wrong screen of this 20-page, spiral-bound booklet, and it's true—especially erstwhile said sticker is an different staid illustration of a cardinal saying, “Thanks for making maine look mean and well-adjusted.” The publication features 40 stickers (four of them the vintage puffy kind) of tract guide-style vertebrate illustrations accompanied by sarcastic sayings. Some are unimaginative oregon conscionable downright weird, but the conceit is inactive funny, and the stickers are of decent prime and adhere good to everything from bookshelves to vacuum cleaners to thoroughfare signs. It's a large concealed Santa acquisition for a bird-loving coworker oregon stocking stuffer for an ornithologist relative.

• A Smart Birdbath

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  This camera-equipped birdbath from Birdfy, shaper of our favorite astute vertebrate feeder, volition nonstop your recipient entertaining 1080p photos and 2K videos of their favourite birds—and different backyard visitors—drinking, bathing, oregon conscionable pausing to ponder their adjacent move.

  I tested the Bath Pro for respective months, and my favourite portion was really the non-bird visitors who showed up—squirrels, raccoons, and adjacent a ample spider triggered tons of comic footage for maine to watch, save, and send. The birdbath's shallow reservoir has a inclination to pull algae successful the sun, and the foam filters are easy clogged and indispensable beryllium cleaned often (it comes with other filters, which was utile for maine erstwhile a raccoon reached successful and made disconnected with one, for immoderate reason). But the star pump works well, the Birdfy app is amusive and casual to use, and immoderate transportation issues I encountered during my first-round tests look to person been mitigated with a caller app update.

• A Birdy Tote Bag

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    Photograph: Kat Merck

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    Photograph: Kat Merck

  bb.FONTS

  Birds of a Feather Tote Bag

  Show your ornithological bent everyplace you spell with this bold-print tropical vertebrate tote bag by Miami-born decorator Christopher Martinez-Fonts. Made of pebbled vegan leather with a drawback closure, it measures 18 x 12 inches and volition easy acceptable a 16-inch laptop, on with binoculars, breadstuff for pigeons, oregon immoderate other you instrumentality connected your regular journeys. I was amazed by however comfy it was to carry, adjacent with heavier items. You tin besides take brownish oregon achromatic for the handle.

• Put a Camera Anywhere

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    Photograph: Kat Merck

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    Photograph: Kat Merck

  If your recipient has an existing vertebrate feeder they like, oregon a seasonal nesting tract determination astir their location oregon property, they mightiness emotion a standalone vertebrate camera. This 1 is the champion I've tested, compatible with some 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz Wi-Fi networks. The cute greenish owl look streams 4K HD video and pushes 1080p pics to the Hibird app. There's entree to AI recognition (which I recovered to conscionable beryllium OK), livestreaming, and Hibird's “Dr. Bird” Chat GPT-like assistance feature, which allows you to inquire bird-related questions. (I didn't find it to beryllium peculiarly helpful, but YMMV.)

  The auxiliary star sheet tin beryllium mounted separately, oregon you tin conscionable instrumentality the camera wrong to complaint erstwhile the artillery runs out, arsenic I did—the artillery complaint lasts astatine slightest respective weeks. The camera comes with a bracket and bendable limb for precise positioning, oregon you tin jury-rig a customized solution. No subscription is needed for use, though a Hibird rep says that whitethorn alteration successful the future.

• A Bird Nerd Classic

  

  Photograph: Kat Merck

  David Allen Sibley

  "What It's Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing—What Birds Are Doing, and Why"

  This 8- by 11-inch hardcover by famed ornithologist David Sibley (known for his Sibley tract guides) whitethorn beryllium excessively large and excessively dense to acceptable successful a backpack for tract reading, but it remains the definitive root for absorbing vertebrate facts. Did you cognize mallard nestlings person lone a 15 percent accidental of fledging and that erstwhile they're hatched, less than fractional of ducklings survive? And that jays successful the northeastern US often devour overgarment chips successful hunt of calcium, which doesn't hap people successful that region's soil? Or that chickadees specifically question retired spiders to provender their young for the archetypal week aft they hatch, arsenic spiders are precocious successful taurine? Whether you privation to oregon not, you volition cognize each these things and much if you springiness idiosyncratic adjacent to you this book.

• The Ultimate Bird Poster

  

  Photograph: Kat Merck

  Pop Chart Lab

  Birds of North America Poster

  If you've ever wondered however galore birds unrecorded successful North America, this poster displays each 740 of them successful 1 chart, some autochthonal and nonnative, arranged by size and order. It's some acquisition and a surefire speech starter. In fact, I’ve had this illustration framed successful my home's entryway for astir 8 years, and I don’t deliberation a azygous idiosyncratic has visited my location for the archetypal clip and not commented connected it, careless of their ornithological involvement level. It's truly fascinating successful person, and adjacent if your giftee is already well-versed successful birds, they'll astir apt inactive larn thing new.

• Feed Birds Without a Yard

  

  Photograph: Kat Merck

  Nature's Hangout

  Window Bird Feeder

  I primitively bought this suction-cup model feeder to entertain my lad erstwhile helium was young, but the astir enthusiastic assemblage ended up being my 2 cats. When the feeder is up, they walk each time crouched beneath the window, bodies tense and waiting for the cleanable infinitesimal to leap retired astatine an unsuspecting finch oregon sparrow. Thankfully, this ne'er seemed to deter the birds. The suction cups kept it perfectly positioned, adjacent erstwhile squirrels beryllium connected it, truthful it’s cleanable for apartments oregon anyplace a pole- oregon wall-mounted feeder wouldn't marque sense. This is simply a cleanable acquisition to bundle with a container of mess-free birdseed, below.

• Mess-Free Birdseed

  

  Photograph: Kat Merck

  Cool Birds

  No Waste Bird Seed

  Feeding birds is amusive and all, but these small dinosaurs are savage erstwhile it comes to picky eating. Like toddlers astatine the meal table, thing they don't privation (like millet)—as good arsenic the hulls and shells of what they did—gets thrown connected the ground. Once h2o gets connected these unsightly middens, the seeds sprout, truthful each of a abrupt you person weeding to bash connected apical of filling and cleaning the feeders.

  If you're gifting a feeder oregon feeder accessories, see throwing successful immoderate mess-free seed. Cool Birds makes a mates versions that besides incorporate capsaicin (the chemic compound that makes peppers spicy; it lone bothers mammals), ostensibly to support distant squirrels. Most squirrels are lone temporarily deterred by this, but determination are besides non-spicy varieties. I tested the “Hearts connected Fire” hulled sunflowers, and portion it chiefly attracted finches and related songbirds, I appreciated that little provender ended up connected the crushed and I could hold longer successful betwixt refills.

• A Stylish Puzzle

  

  Photograph: Kat Merck

  Pomegranate

  Charley Harper Secret Sanctuary 500-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

  Portland, Oregon-based steadfast Pomegranate makes a full enactment of puzzles featuring stylized bird-themed creation by the precocious modernist creator Charley Harper. My household archetypal spotted them years agone successful the acquisition country astatine a section plot center, and since then, we've either bought oregon been fixed astir each Charley Harper puzzle the institution has made. The frame-worthy designs see tropical birds, godforsaken birds, coastal birds, raptors, migrations, and more, with pieces ranging from 500 to 1,000. I'm hard-pressed to find a favorite.

• For Birders Who Love Adventure

  

  Photograph: Kat Merck

  Jonathan C. Slaght

  "Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl"

  Until speechmaking this book, I had ne'er heard of Blakiston's food owl. And seemingly neither had the author, bird-watcher and biologist Jonathan Slaght, until helium caught show of one—the world's largest surviving owl. What followed was a five-year passionateness task to catalog the owl successful a distant portion of eastbound Russia. Part question adventure, portion technological study, portion memoir, this much-lauded nonfiction publication reads similar a caller and volition beryllium a page-turner for anyone who enjoys birds, exploration, oregon the outdoors.

• Sock It to Me

  

  Photograph: Kat Merck

  Happy Wings

  Refillable Nyjer Thistle Sock Feeder

  A batch of backyard birders usage nyjer seed, an herb autochthonal to Africa, due to the fact that squirrels shun it and it doesn't thin to sprout connected the crushed similar accepted feed. You tin spot it successful a regular tube-style feeder, but I similar utilizing a effect sock, which the birds look to similar better—it's much authentic to the acquisition of pulling a effect retired of dried angiosperm heads. Nyjer effect is peculiarly tasty to finches of each kinds, but the chickadees successful my gait similar it arsenic well.

  Because of nyjer's lipid content, it's a large effect to adhd successful the wintertime for other calories, but if you are utilizing a effect sock, marque definite to instrumentality it down erstwhile it rains, arsenic the moisture could marque the seeds moldy.

  Note that it whitethorn instrumentality a portion for your feathered friends to observe the nyjer seed, particularly if they're not utilized to it oregon alarmed by the quality of the sock. My backyard birds took astir a week, but different sources accidental it tin instrumentality up to three, truthful don't springiness up if it's not an contiguous hit.

• For Warm Winter Bird-Watching

  

  Photograph: Kat Merck

  I'm not usually someone who is perpetually cold, but I person spent galore a blustery autumn evening oregon wintertime time looking for owls, and determination are times erstwhile a overgarment conscionable isn't enough. Especially if you're lasting stationary for a while, waiting for the cleanable photograph opportunity, oregon for a caput to popular up from wrong a nest. Heated jackets are admittedly a small gimmicky—they lone vigor successful definite areas, similar the shoulders, chest, and back, and aren't arsenic lukewarm arsenic you deliberation they'll be. And galore of them, this 1 included, person a airy connected the beforehand that advertises to everyone you walk that you are wearing a heated jacket, prompting them to remark connected it. (An introvert's nightmare, which is simply a problem, arsenic the Venn diagram of introverts and vertebrate watchers has dense overlap.)

  But if that doesn't fuss you, layering this overgarment nether a waterproof ammunition oregon overcoat volition marque a immense quality successful however agelong you tin enactment retired connected a nasty day. Note that women's sizes tally abbreviated successful magnitude and agelong successful the arms, truthful if you similar jackets that screen your behind, I urge choosing a antithetic marque alternatively than sizing up.

• For Dry Bird-Watching Gear

  

  Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

  Fjällräven

  High Coast Rolltop 26

  The champion birding doesn't ever hap successful pleasant weather. (If you're looking for owls, for example, the champion clip is successful winter, erstwhile the leaves are disconnected the trees.) If you privation to support cogwheel specified arsenic binoculars, cameras, and notebooks, you'll request a weatherproof backpack. This 26L waterproof roll-top is 1 of WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson's all-time favourite time packs, with a 400D polyamide exterior and seam taping. The padding is minimal, but Scott said successful his usher to the Best Day-Hiking Backpacks that helium recovered it to beryllium perfectly comfy up to astir 10 to 12 pounds.

• For Bird-Loving Gamers

  

  Courtesy of Stonemaier Games

  WIRED reviewer Simon Hill, our staff committee crippled aficionado, says this award-winning card-driven crippled volition entreaty to anyone funny successful birds, arsenic it pairs strategy with plentifulness of acquisition accusation astir antithetic vertebrate species. It tin consciousness analyzable astatine first, truthful it's astir apt champion for families with kids older than 10, but erstwhile you get the bent of it, it tin beryllium addictive. (Up to 5 radical tin play, but you tin besides play solo.) Playing clip is 40 to 70 minutes.

• A Different Kind of Bird Food

  

  Courtesy of C&S

  My hubby and I received this feeder handbasket and immoderate suet cakes arsenic a acquisition astir 10 years ago. The handbasket has fallen connected the crushed countless times; been chewed connected and utilized arsenic gymnastics instrumentality by squirrels; and survived windstorms, snow, and beauteous overmuch everything Pacific Northwest winters person to offer. Sure, it's seen amended days looks-wise, but it inactive does the job.

  Suet—beef fat, if we're being explicit; the solid-form relative to rendered tallow—attracts a antithetic assortment of birds than seeds, chiefly insect-eaters similar woodpeckers and bushtits. It tends to melt and spell rancid successful the heat, truthful I similar the melt-free blistery capsicum variety, which tin beryllium utilized year-round and has been deemed unpalatable by our vicinity squirrels.