Robin|Connecticut Warbler|Bald Eagle|Piping Plover|Least Tern|Monk Parakeet|Roseate TernHouse Finch|Northern Flicker|Endangered Species|Home Page
 | State Specialties |
These are birds which the state of Connecticut is known for.
American Robin
The Connecticut State Bird. Abundant nester. Some winter over.
Connecticut Warbler
I had to include it. The type specimen was recorded in 1808 by Alexander Wilson
who got the specimen from Hartford, Connecticut. The first nest of this bird was discovered in
Manitoba in 1883 by Ernest Thompson Seton, a Connecticut resident. It is not as extreme as the Cape May Warbler which was not seen in Cape May again for 112 years after it was first named there; however, the Connecticut Warbler is rare in Connecticut. (I have seen 300 of the 400 or so birds ever seen in the state, but I have never seen a Connecticut Warbler here.) Most likely to be seen in fall migration at one of the migrant traps along the shore such as Lighthouse Point, Hammonasset Beach State Park, or Bluff Point State Park (see "Hotspots" Page). But don't count on it.
Photo: Michael Myers
Bald Eagle
A popular bird, even for nonbirders. Federally threatened, state endangered. Winters in a few areas around the state--along the Shepaug River in Southbury, the mouth of the Connecticut River especially in the Haddam and Essex area, and the Barkhamstead Reservoir in Colebrook and Barkhamstead. Occasionally Golden Eagles and Rough-Legged Hawks will be spotted with them. In years when the Housatonic River freezes south of the Shepaug River, they can be spotted in open water south to Milford Point. For winter boat tours of Conn. River looking for eagles call 860-443-7259 (Jan.-Feb.). For information on viewing eagles at the Shepaug River Dam in Southbury, call 800-368-8954 (Nov.-Mar.).
See also Calendar Page in winter months for eagle-spotting field trips.
Photo: S. Furniss, USFWS
Piping Plover
The Atlantic Piping Plover is an endangered subspecies. It holds onto a few precarious nesting areas in the state. The problem is that it prefers the same sandy beaches that people do. Likeliest places to see one are at Milford Point or Griswold Point, Old Saybrook, April-Sept. The Conn. DEP reports that in 1998 21 pairs fledged 22 young, a decrease from 1997 in which 25 nests fledged 44 young.
Least Tern
The Least Tern is a and considered endangered by the Federal government elsewhere, but the state considered it endangerred here. Like the Piping Plover, it prefers sandy beaches. It is most likely to be seen at Milford Point, May-Sept., but it can be spotted elsewhere along the Connecticut coastline. The Conn. DEP reports that in 1998 there were 447 nests which fledged 105 young; an increase over 1997's 403 nests with 75 young. The low fledging rate is still a concern and numbers are down significantly from a decade ago: in 1987 849 pairs nested in the state.
Monk Parakeet
Some America firsters will hate me for including this, but a colony arrived in the late 1960's and established itself in the Bridgeport area. The bird is now established along the coast from Branford to Norwalk. The main colonial tree blew down a few years ago, but the birds successfully established new colonies in a variety of places. You can often see it at Milford Point in Milford, the Compo Beach area in Westport, and on the campus of Fairfield University in Fairfield (especially by the Quick Center parking lot). There is a colony established at theBeardsley Park Zoo, Bridgeport,
by the Red Wolf exhibit (look in the trees for the nests--there are also some caged parakeets here, too). The parakeets do not appear to be disturbing the local ecology. For listers, the bird is "countable" now, having sustained itself for a period of more than 25 years.
Roseate Tern
The Roseate Tern is a federally endangered species with a declining population worldwide. It nests on islands in Long Island Sound including Great Gull Island NY and Falkner Island CT. Roseate Terns can occasionally be seen in late summer off Harkness Memorial State Park and nearby Waterford Beach in Waterford. They sometimes appear at Milford Point in small numbers with large flocks of migrant Common Terns. The Falkner Island Tern Project sponsors an open house on the island once a year (provide your own transportation).
House Finch
The House Finch has become common in the state as escapees originally from the New York City area have spread through the region. This species is included here because of the occurrence of House Finch conjunctivitis. Click on the above link to find out about reporting sightings of House Finches, both healthy and afflicted, for this conjunctivitis study.
Northern Flicker
This bird is included because when John-James Audubon recorded this species, he named it Picus ayresii, in honor of William Ayres (1817-1887) a native of New Canaan, Connecticut, and an early American naturalist. Audubon's name did not stick because Alexander Wilson had named the bird earlier. It can be found year-round in a variety of habitats with trees and open areas in Connecticut.
Blackburnian Warbler
This bird breeds in coniferous woods in Connecticut and can be spotted in many habitats during spring migration. It is named after British siblings Ashton and Anna Blackburne. Brother Ashton (1730?-1780?) came to North America where he recorded and collected many Northeastern birds in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. His sister Anna (1726-1793), who remained in England, collected his reports and many of his specimens. Ashton spent the last years of his life in Norwalk where he died c. 1780.
Extralimital Birds with Historical Connecticut Connections
Gray Flycatcher
This southwestern specialty, Empidonax wrightii, is named for Charles Wright (1811-1885), a native of Wethersfield and a graduate of Yale. Described by a biographer as "not one to be settled for very long," he spent most of his adult years traveling all over the world collecting botanical and ornithological specimens, including the flycatcher named for him. He always considered Connecticut his home and died at the family homestead where he was born.
Kirtland's Warbler
This rarity is named after Dr. Jared Potter Kirtland (1793-1877). He was born in Wallingford, attended the first class of Yale Medical School, and settled in Durham. He moved to Ohio in 1823 where he distinguished himself in politics, academics, medicine, and horticulture. He had a fairly extensive bird collection and was an early advocate of environmental protection (not a contradiction in those days). When his son-in-law, Charles Pease, Sr., shot an unknown warbler near Cleveland during the May 1851 spring migration, Dr. Kirtland sent the skin to Spencer Baird at the Smithsonian who named the new bird after him.
Couch's Kingbird
This bird is named after army explorer and later Civil War General Darius N. Couch (1822-1897). He made Norwalk his home from 1870 on and served in the State Military Department.
Elf Owl
This is more of a stretch, but the smallest owl in North America, Micrathene whitneyi, was named for Josiah Dwight Whitney (1819-1896) who attended prep school in New Haven and graduated from Yale.
Endangered and Threatened Birds of Connecticut
A fairly current list of state Federally Endangered (E) and Threatened (T)).