Connecticut, a state in southern New England, USA, has been abundantly gifted by nature and humans. Ranging from waterfalls (and not just any waterfall but the Kents falls) to parks like Bluff Point State Park (Groton) to sunsets (that Connecticut is known for), it is filled with places and features that will make you fall in love with nature all over again.
Although these places and things can be breathtaking, sometimes it is the small things that can leave you in awe. These small things that we tend to ignore capture so much beauty in them that once you get a taste of it, there is no turning back.
What might those little things be, you ask? Birds. Yes, that is right.
This is why today; we will be talking about the backyard birds of Connecticut in detail so that you can be as obsessed with these cute little creatures as we are. Since Connecticut is home to over four hundred and seven species of birds, it might just be impossible for us to list down all the birds of Connecticut’s backyard. So here are some of our favorite ones.
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Top Backyard Birds Found in Connecticut
Downy Woodpecker
Without surprise, our first choice of backyard birds in Connecticut must be the Downy Woodpecker. This tiny bird belonging to the woodpecker family must be one of our personal favorites. Downy Woodpecker, which you might also know as Dryobates pubescens, is a beautiful mixture of different colors and patterns.
A Downy Woodpecker has black feathers on the top part of its body with a contrast of white plumage from beneath. And as far as the pattern goes, they have white dots on their wings and strips on their heads; however, that is not it. The best part about these birds is the slight addition of red on their head, which gives them the finishing touch.
Not only does the tiny red patch add to its beauty, but it also helps you identify if it is a male or a female downy woodpecker because male Downy Woodpeckers tend to have a red patch on their heads, whereas the female ones do not. If this were not enough to identify which bird is which gender, notice how the female birds have a lesser body size and wingspan than the male woodpeckers. These are the more detailed and less prominent differences observed in male and female downy woodpeckers.
If you want to feed downy woodpeckers, try feeding them small-sized nuts, seeds, berries, oh and not to forget the tiny insects they love to feed on. So, fill your feeders up, especially during winters, because that is when they visit areas with feeders the most.
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Bluebirds mostly found in open woods, gardens, orchids, and farmlands belong to a North American family of songbirds called Turdidae—still, having trouble recognizing these birds? Well, then you might know these birds as Sialia sialis.
These Eastern Bluebirds are not only known for their beautiful blue plumage (as mentioned in their name) but also for their wonderful melodious vocals.
Speaking about their plumage, here are few details that might help you recognize these beautiful songbirds in the wild and/or in your backyard. The upper part of their body, including their head and wings as well as their tail, is blue, whereas the underside (e.g., their belly) of these birds is white. However, they are not just a contrast of blue and white. They have a collar around their neck with a color that is something between an orange and a brown. These colors don’t just add to their beauty but also help you identify their genders, meaning that the male Eastern Bluebirds are blue in color while the plumage on the female ones leans more towards a dull blue to brownish shade. Other than that, male and female Eastern Bluebirds are not much different.
Now let us go into more details of their features. since they are smaller birds, they are around seventeen to twenty-one centimeters with an approximate body weight of thirty grams.
Moving on from the description of their features, if you want to attract these birds to your feeder, add some tiny fruits, berries, or seeds to it. however, the major food in their diets are insects and worms, especially for the grown-up Eastern Bluebirds (they eat insects like grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, etc.)
Tree Swallow
Another type of bird from North America that is usually found in the backyard of Connecticut is a Tree Swallow, a bird from the Tachycineta genus, otherwise also known as Tachycineta bicolor.
The fact that tree swallow and eastern bluebirds both are from North America is not the only similarity between them. Tree Swallows are also a gorgeous combination of blue and white plumage like the Eastern Bluebirds. However, the tiny difference is that the Tree Swallows entire back is covered with stunning bright blue feathers (instead of just their
wings and tails like the eastern bluebirds) and has white plumage on the underside.
Female Tree Swallows are a bit different than male ones. They tend to be shorter in size, have lesser weight, and a darker, more blue, brown plumage when compared to male Tree Swallows.
Unlike the Eastern Bluebirds, tree swallows are migratory birds who migrate from one place to another. But you do not need to worry; they do frequently visit feeders that are present in the area they are staying in. So, stalk up your feeders with small berries, fruits, and nuts. Other than this, they also feed on insects as well as the larvae of insects.
Northern Flicker
Northern Flicker bird is a member of the woodpecker family and is otherwise known as the yellowhammer. And if it still does not ring a bell, try Colaptes auratus and/ or common flicker, which are different names that Northern Flicker birds are known as.
Because they belong to the woodpecker family, they somewhat resemble the Downy Woodpecker birds, with the only difference being that it has a duller plumage than the Downy Woodpecker and lacks the red dot on the head. The Northern Flicker birds have an upper part (including wings) with feathers of color brown with few black dots in it, while
their underside has more greyish brown tone feathers.
And if you want to be able to distinguish between the male and female Northern Flicker birds, we have got you. When looking for a male Northern Flicker, look for a red ring around their neck which the female ones do not have. Another distinguishing feature in these birds is that the female Northern Flickers have pinkish feathers below their tails. In addition to that, like the other birds mentioned above, female Northern Flickers’ weight, size, and wingspan vary from the male ones since male Northern Flickers have a greater size, weight, and wingspan.
And if you are waiting to get a glimpse of these beautiful birds, get your feeders ready with seeds, nuts, berries, insects, larvae and worms, for summers. Oh, and a bonus fact about the Northern Flickers is that the male ones tend to have beautiful high-pitched vocals, which they use to attract the female Northern Flickers for breeding purposes.
European Starling
European Starling, again, a North American bird which is also known by the name of Sturnus Bulgaria, belongs to the starting family (as obvious by its name) and is approximately 8 inches long and has a 13 inches wingspan.
It has a beautiful set of colored plumage all over its body. The magnificent colors that add up to make the plumage of Sturnus Bulgaria include gorgeous shades of blue and black.
However, compared to male European Starlings, female ones have more of a brownish plumage that almost covers their entire body. Besides that, they are shorter in size, have a shorter wingspan, and are lighter in weight which further differentiates them from the male European Starlings.
Although European starlings usually get their food from trees and soil, they still do visit feeders. Their diets usually consist of small insects, worms, berries, and seeds like other birds found in the backyard of Connecticut, nothing new.
In Conclusion
These were some of the many backyard birds of Connecticut. From Downy Woodpecker to Tree swallow to European Flickers, all these birds are similar yet different in their own unique ways. So let us know one of these beautiful birds are your favorite!
