Coolfly Aura Review: More Angles, Fewer Advantages

Having tested smart bird feeders for WIRED for almost two years, I've seen my fair share of interesting camera placements. There's the traditional middle-of-the-device setup, as seen in classic models like Birdbuddy's, but I've also seen cameras on the side (as with Birdfy's new Rookie) or even dual-camera models with one in the middle and one on the side (like Birdfy's Feeder 2 Duo). I had not, however, until now seen a feeder that lets the user place the camera on the left or right, as well as horizontally or vertically. Is this actually a feature worth paying nearly $300 for? I used CoolFly's new Aura in my yard for just under six weeks to find out.

Creature Report

Photograph: Kat Merck

The bright-blue plastic, curvy Aura, which debuted at CES 2026 with claims of sporting the world's first modular smart feeder camera system, doesn't really look like a bird feeder. If someone showed me a picture, I'd probably guess it was an anthropomorphic drone from Sesame Street or something the Octonauts would pilot to go visit the Great Barrier Reef. It won’t exactly blend into your yard. But, function-wise, it certainly checks a lot of boxes and offers AI identification without needing to spring for a separate subscription, a rarity among smart feeders.