Last year, TikTok had been taken over by the Bird Buddy—a smart bird feeder with a built-in camera which could capture stunning photos and videos of your local birds. Using AI trained on real bird visits, the smart feeder is able to recognize exactly what species of bird stopped by for a visit. This product understandably took off and even landed itself on TIME’s best inventions list of 2023.
Well, the team behind Bird Buddy has more than just birds in their sights. Early Monday morning, Bird Buddy Inc. unveiled Wonder Blocks—a smart modular habitat system built to help bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators prosper—now available for pre-order on Kickstarter.
See Wonder Blocks at Kickstarter
The Wonder Block system comprises of a freestanding planter with a bee sanctuary built into its base and magnetic trellis which can be built upon with key habitat modules and accessories. The Frame as it’s called can be used to anchor butterfly feeders, hummingbird feeders, shelters, and more.
As a bee habitat, Wonder Blocks provides safe, essential shelter for solitary bees. As effective as they may be, solitary bees represent some of our most vulnerable pollinators.
Healthy ecosystems rely on pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. However, populations of these helpful critters is on the decline thanks to climate change, pesticides, and habitat loss. The battle for conservation isn’t just about rainforests many of us will never see in our lives. The frontline is our own backyards, gardens, and balconies. And Wonder Blocks can be how individuals make a difference, fighting the good fight for a better Earth.
Smart Nature Observatory
The real star of Wonder Blocks setting it apart from other habitats on the market is Petal—an AI-powered camera trained on over 2,000 species of pollinators, birds, and native plants.
The 12MP camera is capable of recording in 4K, an enhancement over the 5MP camera on the Bird Buddy which only records up to 2K. Its colors and design mimic that of a flower to attract birds and insects.
You can mount the camera in a number of ways. Its universal clip lets you adhere it to the edge of a planter. It can be hung, pointed downward from a branch or the flexible stem can be wrapped around a pole like a vine.
The Petal Smart Camera is equipped with a 2,000mAh battery which will last up to six weeks on a single charge. Each Petal as a standard feature included a special small form factor solar panel which, in most environments, is capable of extending the battery life of the camera indefinitely.
Swappable lenses let you choose between a wide angle lens and a macro lens to best capture the tiny visitors to your habitat.
For nature enthusiasts, bird watchers, and big bug heads, Petal uses machine learning to ID the different species of pollinators that come into view so you know exactly who you’re helping. AI is used even further to take the videos you record in your Wonder Blocks habitat and add in augmented voice over narration of their activity. You can play back recordings of the birds and insects in your garden like they are your own personal nature documentary.
“Wonder Blocks is about more than just observing nature — it’s about understanding it,” said Franci Zidar, co-founder and CEO of Bird Buddy. “Wonder Blocks support the pollinators our ecosystems depend on, and Petal lets you see and hear their stories unfold. This is conservation made accessible, emotional, and intelligent.”
The smart AI camera can even detect behavioral patterns and changes to the environments—whether that is nesting, plant stress, or something else—and then alert you of what’s been observed.
See Wonder Blocks at Kickstarter
Three Tiers of the Wonder Block System
The Habitat is the base habitat, capable of self-watering and equipped with an integrated Bee Habitat module. Modularity is at the forefront of its design as the planter can function either as a standalone smart habitat or be added as another piece to the Wonder Blocks system.
The outer edge of the Habitat comprises a built-in micro water feature—The Stream—where helpful pollinators can stop by for some critical hydration.
Wonder Blocks represent the core modular habitat. It adds in the observation pole and are designed for dynamic pollinator support and the Petal camera system.
The Wonder Blocks Hero is the full-featured setup—replacing the observation pole for a full frame which adds full Petal camera integration along with support for several feeders and shelters. You get a butterfly shelter to keep them safe from harsh weather and both a butterfly feeder and hummingbird feeder to keep them satisfied.
Wondering Where to Buy?
Your journey toward leaving a positive impact on our planet starts right now as pre-orders are available today at Kickstarter!
The Habitat on its own costs $149. The Wonder Blocks set which adds in the Petal camera and observation pole is priced at $299. Wonder Blocks Hero gives you the base habitat, two Petal cameras and the three attachments for butterflies and hummingbirds. That is available for $499. The Petal camera is available to purchase separately so you can integrate it into your existing garden or habitat system. You’ll be able to pick up the standalone Petal camera starting at $129.
Both Wonder Blocks and Petal are planned to begin shipping mid-2026 to the US, Canada, EU, United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland.
Bird Buddy, Inc. has hinted at future integration between the Bird Buddy, Petal, and Wonder Blocks as part of a broader nature tech ecosystem along with confirming a smartphone app is in development.
