Birds of Long Island Sound

Checklist of the Birds of Connecticut

This list includes the 444 bird species recorded in Connecticut and accepted by the Avian Records Committee of Connecticut (ARCC). The names and sequences of species follow the A.O.S. Checklist of the Birds of North America (7th ed. 1998 and supplements to the 59th, December 19, 2018).

The Checklist of the Birds of Connecticut Legend: * Rare in CT – ARCC requests details,  (S) Sight record only, (I) Introduced, (X) Extirpated, (E) Extinct
Ducks, Geese, and Swans
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck*
Fulvous Whistling-Duck*
Pink-footed Goose*
Greater White-fronted Goose
Graylag Goose*
Snow Goose
Ross’s Goose*
Brant
Barnacle Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan (I)
Trumpeter Swan*
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal*
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Tufted Duck*
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
King Eider
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck New World Quail
Northern Bobwhite (X) Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys
Ring-necked Pheasant (I)
Ruffed Grouse
Wild Turkey Loons
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon*
Common Loon Grebes
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe*
Western Grebe* Shearwaters and Petrels
Northern Fulmar*
Black-capped Petrel*
Cory’s Shearwater*
Great Shearwater*
Sooty Shearwater* (S)
Manx Shearwater*
Audubon’s Shearwater* (S) Storm-Petrels
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
White-faced Storm-Petrel*
Leach’s Storm-Petrel*
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel* Tropicbirds
White-tailed Tropicbird* Storks
Wood Stork* Frigatebirds
Magnificent Frigatebird* Gannets
Brown Booby*
Northern Gannet Cormorants
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Cormorant Darters
Anhinga* Pelicans
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican* Bitterns and Herons
American Bittern
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Little Egret*
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Ibises
White Ibis*
Glossy Ibis
White-faced Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill* New World Vultures
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture Ospreys
Osprey Hawks, Kites, and Eagles
White-tailed Kite*
Swallow-tailed Kite
Mississippi Kite
Golden Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Swainson’s Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk*
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
Yellow Rail*
Black Rail*
Corn Crake*
King Rail
Clapper Rail
Virginia Rail
Sora
Purple Gallinule*
Common Gallinule
American Coot Cranes
Sandhill Crane Stilts and Avocets
Black-necked Stilt*
American Avocet Oystercatchers
American Oystercatcher Lapwings and Plovers
Black-bellied Plover
American Golden-Plover
Northern Lapwing*
Snowy Plover*
Wilson’s Plover*
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer Sandpipers and Phalaropes
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Redshank*
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Upland Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew*
Black-tailed Godwit*
Hudsonian Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit*
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Ruff*
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper*
Stilt Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper*
Red-necked Stint*
Sanderling
Dunlin
Purple Sandpiper
Baird’s Sandpiper
Little Stint* (S)
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson’s Snipe
American Woodcock
Wilson’s Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Red Phalarope* Skuas and Jaegers
Pomarine Jaeger* (S)
Parasitic Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger* Auks, Murres, and Puffins
Dovekie*
Common Murre*
Thick-billed Murre*
Razorbill
Black Guillemot*
Atlantic Puffin* Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
Black-legged Kittiwake*
Ivory Gull*
Sabine’s Gull*
Bonaparte’s Gull
Black-headed Gull
Little Gull
Ross’s Gull*
Laughing Gull
Franklin’s Gull*
Mew Gull*
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull*
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Slaty-backed Gull*
Glaucous Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Sooty Tern*
Bridled Tern*
Least Tern
Gull-billed Tern*
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Roseate Tern
Common Tern
Arctic Tern*
Forster’s Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern*
Black Skimmer Pigeons and Doves
Rock Pigeon (I)
Band-tailed Pigeon* (S)
Eurasian Collared-Dove*
Common Ground-Dove*
White-winged Dove*
Mourning Dove Cuckoos
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo Barn Owl
Barn Owl Typical Owls
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Snowy Owl
Northern Hawk Owl*
Burrowing Owl*
Barred Owl
Great Gray Owl*
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Boreal Owl*
Northern Saw-whet Owl Goatsuckers
Common Nighthawk
Chuck-will’s-widow*
Eastern Whip-poor-will Swifts
Chimney Swift Hummingbirds
Mexican Violetear*
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird*
Rufous Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird*
Broad-billed Hummingbird* Kingfishers
Belted Kingfisher Woodpeckers
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker*
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker Caracaras and Falcons
American Kestrel
Merlin
Gyrfalcon*
Peregrine Falcon Parrots
Monk Parakeet (I) Tyrant Flycatchers
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher*
Pacific-slope Flycatcher*
Eastern Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe*
Ash-throated Flycatcher*
Great Crested Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird*
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Gray Kingbird*
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher*
Fork-tailed Flycatcher* Shrikes
Loggerhead Shrike*
Northern Shrike Vireos
White-eyed Vireo
Bell’s Vireo*
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo Crows and Jays
Blue Jay
Eurasian Jackdaw*
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven Larks
Horned Lark
Swallows
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Brown-chested Martin* (S)
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow Chickadees and Titmice
Black-capped Chickadee
Boreal Chickadee*
Tufted Titmouse Nuthatches
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch Creepers
Brown Creeper Wrens
House Wren
Winter Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren Gnatcatchers
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Kinglets
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Old World Flycatchers
Northern Wheatear* Thrushes
Eastern Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird*
Townsend’s Solitaire*
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Bicknell’s Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
Fieldfare*
American Robin
Varied Thrush* Mockingbirds and Thrashers
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird Starlings
European Starling (I) Wagtails and Pipits
American Pipit
Sprague’s Pipit Waxwings
Bohemian Waxwing*
Cedar Waxwing Longspurs and Snow Buntings
Lapland Longspur
Chestnut-collared Longspur*
Smith’s Longspur*
Snow Bunting Wood-Warblers
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush
Golden-winged Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
MacGillivray’s Warbler* (S)
Mourning Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler*
Hermit Warbler* (S)
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat Towhees and Sparrows
Grasshopper Sparrow
Henslow’s Sparrow*
Le Conte’s Sparrow*
Nelson’s Sparrow
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Lark Bunting*
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow* (S)
Harris’s Sparrow*
White-throated Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Green-tailed Towhee*
Spotted Towhee*
Eastern Towhee Cardinals and Tanagers
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Western Tanager*
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeak*
Blue Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting*
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting*
Dickcissel Blackbirds and Orioles
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark*
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird* (S)
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Bullock’s Oriole*
Baltimore Oriole
Black-backed Oriole* Finches and Allies
Brambling*
Pine Grosbeak
House Finch
Purple Finch
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll*
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak Old World Sparrows
House Sparrow (I)

Extinct or Extirpated (6 species):
Labrador Duck (E), Gray Partridge (E), Eskimo Curlew (E), Greater Prairie-Chicken (Heath Hen subsp. (E)), Passenger Pigeon (E). Native populations of Northern Bobwhite (X).

Updated 03/05/19 Frank Gallo

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Total 422

The Checklist of the Birds of Long Island Sound

Legend: * Rare in CT and NY. ARCC (Avian Records Committee of CT) requests details.  S: Sight record only I: Introduced  E: Extirpated  X: Extinct  NY seen in NY, but not CT.

Updated: December 2010

Swans, Geese, and Ducks
Fulvous Whistling-Duck*
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Ross’s Goose*
Brant
Canada Goose
Barnacle Goose*
Cackling Goose
Mute Swan (I)
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal*
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Tufted Duck*
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
King Eider*
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck *
Labrador Duck (X)
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Grouse,Turkeys, and Quails
Gray Partridge (EX)(I)
Ring-necked Pheasant(I)
Ruffed Grouse
Greater Prairie-Chicken (EX)(S)

Wild Turkey
Northern Bobwhite

Loons
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon*
Common Loon
Yellow-billed Loon* NY

Grebes
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe *
Western Grebe *

Shearwaters and Petrels
Northern Fulmar *
Black-capped Petrel *
Cory’s Shearwater *
Greater Shearwater *
Sooty Shearwater *
Manx Shearwater *(S)

Audubon’s Shearwater*(S)

Storm-Petrels
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel*
White-faced Storm-Petrel*

Leach’s Storm-Petrel*

Gannets
Northern Gannet

Pelicans
American White Pelican*

Brown Pelican*

Cormorants and Darters
Double-crested Cormorant

Great Cormorant
Anhinga *(S)

Frigatebirds
Magnificent Frigatebird*

Bitterns and Herons
American Bittern
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Western Reef-Heron* (NY only)

Ibises
White Ibis*
Glossy Ibis
White-faced Ibis*

American Vultures
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture

Kites, Eagles, and Hawks
Osprey
Swallow-tailed Kite*
White-tailed Kite*
Mississippi Kite(S)
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Swainson’s Hawk*
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle

Falcons
American Kestrel
Merlin
Gyrfalcon *
Peregrine Falcon

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
Yellow Rail*
Black Rail*
Corn Crake*
Clapper Rail
King Rail
Virginia Rail
Sora
Purple Gallinule*
Common Moorhen
American Coot

Cranes
Sandhill Crane

Plovers
Black-bellied Plover
American Golden-Plover
Wilson’s Plover*
Semipalmated Plover
Snowy Plover*
Piping Plover
Killdeer

Oystercatchers
American Oystercatcher

Stilts and Avocets
Black-necked Stilt*
American Avocet*

Sandpipers and Phalaropes
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Redshank*
Wood Sandpiper* NY
Solitary Sandpiper
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Upland Sandpiper
Eskimo Curlew*
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew*
Bar-tailed Godwit*
Black-tailed Godwit*
Hudsonian Godwit
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Red-necked Stint*
Little Stint* (S)
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird’s Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper*
Purple Sandpiper
Dunlin
Curlew Sandpiper*
Stilt Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Ruff *
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson’s Snipe
American Woodcock
Wilson’s Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope*
Red Phalarope*

Gulls,Terns, and Skimmers
Black-legged Kittiwake*
Bonaparte’s Gull
Black-headed Gull
Little Gull
Ross’s Gull*
Laughing Gull
Franklin’s Gull*
Mew Gull*
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed
Gull

Glaucous Gull
Great Black-backed Gull

Ivory Gull* NY
Sooty Tern*
Bridled Tern*
Least Tern
Gull-billed Tern*
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Roseate Tern
Common Tern
Arctic Tern*
Forster’s Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern*
Black Skimmer

Jaegers Pomarine Jaeger *(S)
Parasitic Jaeger *
Long-tailed Jaeger*

Auks, Murres, and Puffins
Dovekie *
Thick-billed Murre*
Common Murre* NY
Razorbill *(S)
Black Guillemot*
Atlantic Puffin*

Pigeons and Doves
Rock Pigeon (I)
Band-tailed Pigeon*(S)
Eurasian Collared-Dove*
White-winged Dove *(S)
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-Dove*
Passenger Pigeon (X)

Parrots
Monk Parakeet (I)

Cuckoos
Black-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Barn Owl
Barn Owl

Typical Owls
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Snowy Owl
Northern Hawk Owl *
Burrowing Owl *
Barred Owl
Great Gray Owl*
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Boreal Owl *
Northern Saw-whet Owl

Goatsuckers
Common Nighthawk
Chuck-will’s-widow *
Whip-poor-will

Swifts
Chimney Swift

Hummingbirds
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird*
Calliope Hummingbird*

Kingfishers
Belted Kingfisher

Woodpeckers
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker *
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker

Tyrant Flycatchers
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
“Western” Flycatcher*
Eastern Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher*
Great Crested Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird *
Western Kingbird *
Eastern Kingbird
Gray Kingbird *

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher *

Shrikes
Loggerhead Shrike*
Northern Shrike

Vireos
White-eyed Vireo
Bell’s Vireo*
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo

Jays and Crows
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven

Larks
Horned Lark

Swallows
Purple Martin
Brown-chested Martin*(S)

Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow*
Barn Swallow

Chickadees and Titmice
Black-capped Chickadee

Boreal Chickadee*
Tufted Titmouse

Nuthatches
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch

Creepers
Brown Creeper

Wrens
Carolina Wren
Bewick’s Wren* NY
House Wren
Winter Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren

Kinglets and Thrushes
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Wheatear *
Eastern Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird *
Townsend’s Solitaire* NY

Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Bicknell’s Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin Fieldfare* NY
Varied Thrush*

Thrashers
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher

Starlings
European Starling (I)

Pipits
American Pipit

Waxwings
Bohemian Waxwing*
Cedar Waxwing

Wood-Warblers
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler

Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler*

Black-throated Green Warbler

Hermit Warbler* (S)
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler

Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler

American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler
MacGillivray’s Warbler*
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Canada Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat

Tanagers
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Western Tanager*

Towhees, Sparrows, and Longspurs
Green-tailed Towhee*
Eastern Towhee
Spotted Towhee*
Bachman’s Sparrow* NY

American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Lark Bunting*
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Henslow’s Sparrow*
Le Conte’s Sparrow*
Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Seaside Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Harris’s Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Lapland Longspur
Smith’s Longspur*
Chestnut-collared Longspur*
Snow Bunting

Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and Buntings
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeak*

Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Lazuli Bunting*
Painted Bunting*
Dickcissel

Blackbirds and Orioles
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark*
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Bullock’s Oriole*
Baltimore Oriole

Finches
Pine Grosbeak
Purple Finch
House Finch
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll*
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak

Old World Sparrows
House Sparrow (I)

12/8/10