Bird feeders are a great way to enjoy wildlife from the comfort of your home, allowing you to glance out the window and see an assortment of birds gathering in your yard. However, you’ll now find products known as smart bird feeders available online and at some local gardening shops — but what exactly do these new devices offer that can’t be found on traditional bird feeders? More importantly, are smart bird feeders better than traditional bird feeders, especially when you consider their price tags?

Here’s a closer look at these innovative new smart home devices to help you decide if adding one to your yard is a good investment.

A smart bird feeder is essentially a bird feeder with a built-in camera, allowing you to get a closeup view of your feathery visitors. Many can also use AI to identify birds on the feeder, helping to educate you about the animals frequenting your backyard. If you’re an avid birder, that’s a pretty useful feature, as it can often be hard to ID birds without using a pair of binoculars.

These smart bird feeders typically connect to your smartphone via a mobile app, allowing you to customize settings, get smart alerts, or check out additional ornithology content. Some smart bird feeders are battery-powered, while others can link to solar panels to enhance their longevity. Most are also weather-proof and designed in a way to get you the best images of feeding birds (typically by offering an extended perch to better view plumage or using a wide-angle lens).

In short, smart bird feeders are used to capture video footage and provide details of all the animals that stop by for a visit. They typically hold the same birdseed and are just as safe to use as traditional bird feeders, but they make it easier to get a good look at guests.

Keep in mind many smart bird feeders won’t connect to platforms like Google Home or work via Amazon Alexa, but rather they’re “smart” by way of capturing footage and syncing with a mobile app.

There are a lot of factors to consider when trying to decide between a smart bird feeder and regular bird feeder. The main consideration is price. Whereas you can buy (or build) a standard bird feeder for cheap, smart bird feeders often cost over $100. The Bird Buddy with Solar Roof, for example, costs a hefty $300.

You’ll also need to determine if features like video recording and bird ID are something you’ll make use of. After all, these are the main aspects of a smart bird feeder — and if you don’t think you’ll skim through all your alerts or enjoy instant bird identification, then there’s really no need to consider a smart bird feeder.

The same could be said for the installation location. If your bird feeder is really close to your home, you might have a great viewing angle directly from your living room. But if it’ll be farther away or in a spot near your home that’s not easy to see, then the ability to capture close-up footage is worth the price of admission.

Most avid birders will find much to love about smart bird feeders, making them a wise investment. But if you’re just seeking something to attract birds to your garden or enjoy watching birds from time to time, then the upfront costs probably make them less attractive. To get a look at some of your options, be sure to check out our roundup of the best smart bird feeders, which covers a range of budgets and style preferences.