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Birdbuddy claims the AI model powering its species identification feature can recognize about 11,000 different types of birds, or “nearly every bird species in the world.” As I was setting up its two new smart feeders for testing, I wondered: Does that include Melon, my Alexandrine parakeet?
Does Birdbuddy know ball?
Melon, as seen on the camera of the new Birdbuddy Home in my office (his room).
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
Not to sound like a total bird hipster, but you’ve probably never heard of Alexandrines, an older and lesser-known species of chatty green parrots native to southern and southeastern Asia. They’re not available at chain pet stores and are very often confused with Indian ringneck parakeets, their much more popular relatives with smaller beaks, shorter tails, and no crimson wing patches. (There are a lot of ringnecks on TikTok — see Hamlet of “what doing???” fame.)
Needless to say, I figured Melon would give Birdbuddy’s AI a real challenge.
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The verdict
That red wing patch should be a dead giveaway to true parrot heads.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
Disappointingly, but not fully unexpectedly, Birdbuddy guessed wrong. Right after I got Melon in view of the next-gen Birdbuddy Home, the Birdbuddy app sent me a notification saying that I was just visited by a “rose-ringed parakeet” — another name for an Indian ringneck. I submitted feedback within the app to let Birdbuddy know that its guess was close but ultimately incorrect.
The good news is that most people won’t have exotic parrots visiting their house on a regular basis. I’m hoping Birdbuddy will have an easier time recognizing my native wild birds; the Home is currently mounted in the front yard of my Chicago apartment, if someone could kindly alert the area pigeons.
Left:
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
Right:
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
The new Birdbuddy Home ($219) and Birdbuddy Nook ($99) are now available for purchase.
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