Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
What it looks like: The males are a brilliant deep blue in spring and summer. Females and young birds are a chocolate brown. In fall during migration the males molt into the brown color but the oldest males will still retain a few blue feathers. Indigo Buntings are a little over five inches long, or similar in size to a goldfinch.
White-faced Ibis
Plegadis chihi
Where to find it: White-faced Ibis, an uncommon visitor to Connecticut’s coast this month, is a colonial nesting species, building its nest in low shrubs and bushes.
American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
Where to find it: American Bitterns breed in a variety of freshwater marshes with tall vegetation, but are fairly localized and secretive inland-nesting birds in Connecticut. In summer, it’s possible to find them in any well vegetated marsh in Connecticut.
Purple Martins are among the at-risk bird species whose plight can be improved with well-planned bird houses, as we noted last year in our Connecticut State of the Birds 2013 report. Milan Bull, our senior director of science and education, has been working with Friends of Sherwood Island, in Westport, to establish a colony this […]
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
What it looks/sounds like: The well-marked males have a bright yellow throat, and are dramatically masked like a thief, while the female and young are bright but non-descript yellowish warblers. That is to say, they have no distinct eye-rings, bars, stripes, or other significant marks.
Orchard Oriole
Icterus spurius
Where to find it: The Orchard Oriole is usually found in large trees or shrubs near water and in some cases in open areas with scattered trees and shrubs. Orchard Orioles return to Connecticut in early May and begin to migrate back to their wintering areas as early as mid-July. Connecticut Audubon Society’s Center at Pomfret has an increasing population of breeding Orchard Orioles.
Alder Flycatcher
Empidonax alnorum
What it looks like: A small hunter of insects, the Alder Flycatcher is one of the interesting members of the Tyrant flycatcher family. The Empidonax genus within this family is made up of nondescript dull olive individuals who are most reliably differentiated from one another by their unique songs and calls.
May 27, 2014 – The Raven Luna-ticks√ made the most of their Big Day Challenge last week, tallying 188 species but falling short of the team’s Connecticut record (192) and also of the long-shot goal of 200 species.
Red Knot
Calidris cornutus
The Red Knot is a shorebird typically found along the Connecticut coastline during northbound and southbound migration. This member of the sandpiper family (family Scolopacidae – sandpipers, dowitchers, phalaropes, woodcock, and snipes) is one of a number of shorebirds that passes through our state during migration, but does not breed here, preferring instead the tundra of the Arctic north.
Cape May Warbler
Setophaga tigrina
Where to find it: Mid-May is the peak migration period for Cape May and many other warbler species within Connecticut. Cape May Warblers are a bird of the predominately evergreen northern boreal forests, whose numbers are tied to the abundance of spruce budworm, their primary summer food source. As with most migrants, they may be found in variety of habitats during migration, although, they are often found in evergreen trees, especially spruce, and in flowering trees.
