According to the Avian Records Committee of Connecticut (ARCC), there are around 280 bird species in Connecticut – a number of those are very active during the night!
Examples of nocturnal birds in Connecticut include the common nighthawk, American robin, black-crowned night heron, barred owl, northern mockingbird, and many others.
Do some of them sound familiar? Let’s jump in and see what each of these looks and sounds like!
Table of Contents
Night Birds In Connecticut
1. Northern Mockingbird
- Scientific name: Mimus polyglottos
Northern mockingbirds are birds most often heard singing at night in Connecticut. The nighttime singers are often young, unattached males or older males without mates.
They are most noisy from March to August (their breeding season) and late September to November (while establishing winter territories).
To reduce their constantly annoying singing, consider using bird nets on trees or placing cardboard cutouts of predators like hawks or owls.
These birds are year-round residents in CT and are aptly named, as they can mimic over 200 different songs and imitate up to 35 species.
Their mimicry extends to sounds like rusty hinges, car alarms, cackling hens, and dog barks, sometimes indistinguishable even with electronic analysis.
2. Yellow-breasted Chat
- Scientific Name: Icteria virens
Yellow-breasted chats can be heard singing in the morning and evening during summer in southern regions of the state. They will also even sing at night during the height of their breeding season (May to July).
Often heard than seen, they are common around dense, brushy areas and hedgerows. These birds have a unique mix of cackles, clucks, whistles, and hoots in their songs, along with harsh “chak” calls.
Yellow-breasted Chat Song | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
They can mimic other birds, sometimes confusing birdwatchers. During the breeding season, they become more conspicuous, singing from exposed spots and flying openly while gurgling their songs. Unfortunately, their numbers have drastically dropped throughout most of their eastern range.
3. American Robin
- Scientific name: Turdus migratorius
American robins are songbirds and common sights in forests, lawns, and suburbs across CT, throughout the entire year.
As winter fades and daylight increases, they will be the first birds you hear singing just as dawn approaches, giving them the nickname “wake robins.”
The song is described as a “cheery” carol consisting of a string of 10 or so clear whistles; American robins also have a sharp “yeep” alarm call or a mumbled “tuk” when communicating with one another.
Source: G. McGrane, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
However, when the sun goes down, their song changes. From sunset until it gets very dark, they add soft, almost whispered notes to their singing, making their song sound elegant and intricate.
4. Killdeer
- Scientific Name: Charadrius vociferus
Killdeers can be heard throughout the state. They inhabit open areas like sandbars, mudflats, fields, and urban locations.
Killdeers are active day and night, with noticeable nighttime activity, especially in early spring and late summer. They often congregate in places like mall parking lots and well-lit ball fields, engaging in socializing, calling, and searching for food. Their name comes from their loud, piercing calls resembling “kill-deer, kill-deer.”
Killdeer Call | Source: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
5. American Woodcock
- Scientific Name: Scolopax minor
American woodcocks, small elusive birds, can be heard in Connecticut from dusk to dawn. Look for them in fields near forests, especially around powerline cuts.
They’re challenging to spot due to their nocturnal habits and camouflaged colors. Listen for their distinctive “peent” call on the ground or twittering in the air. They perform such activities every evening for 30-60 minutes; they may consist of 10 to 20 performances.
American Woodcock Call | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
6. Wilson’s Snipe
- Scientific Name: Gallinago delicata
Like American woodcocks, Wilson’s snipes are also found in CT. Often heard singing during summer nights there, they prefer wet fields, marshes, and bogs. Listen for them at dawn and dusk.
Recognize them by their “tuk-tuk” call from the ground. They also have an intriguing winnowing display flight, creating distinct sounds in the air. Males fly high in circles, then dive, producing longer-lasting sounds. You can observe this behavior both day and night.
Wilson’s Snipe Call | Source: Doug Hynes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
7. Eastern Screech-Owl
- Scientific Name: Megascops asio
Eastern screech owls are small, stocky, and strictly nocturnal. They live in Connecticut’s woodlands near water and lower elevations year-round.
They’re most vocal near sunset, becoming quieter later at night. Calls increase around full moons and before storms. Listen for the “whinny” and trilling tremolo calls. In summer (June-August), watch for juvenile hissing sounds.
Eastern Screech-owl Call | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Read More: Oregon’s most common night birds
8. Great Horned Owl
- Scientific Name: Bubo virginianus
Much more common than eastern screech-owls, they are one of Connecticut’s biggest raptors. Great horned owls can be heard singing mainly after dark and before dawn.
These permanent residents of the state prefer open areas near forests and make deep, loud “ho-ho-hoo hoo hoo” sounds.
Great Horned Owl Call | Source: Michael & Katie LaTour, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Females have higher-pitched calls, peaking after midnight. They may sing in duets in winter or spring and have distinctive juvenile begging calls in summer, sometimes resembling barn owls’ calls.
9. Barn Owl
- Scientific Name: Tyto alba
One of the most widely distributed species of owl in the world, barn owls are permanent residents of CT.
These medium-sized owls often have a “ghostly” appearance, especially if seen at night, around open habitats, including grasslands, marshes, and agricultural areas.
Barn owls do not hoot and make bone-chilling screams instead. They hunt for rodents during the night and roost in nest boxes, caves, tree hollows, and old buildings.
Barn Owl Call | Source: Luis Gracia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
10. Barred Owl
- Scientific Name: Strix varia
Year-round Connecticut’s residents, barred owls are the most common and most often heard night owls in the state. Found in dense forests near water, they are known for their “who-cooks-for-you” song and “hoo-ahhh” calls, often in duets.
Barred Owl Call | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Juveniles have a unique high-pitched raspy hissing sound. These massive owls have mottled brown and white plumage and dark, almost black eyes.
11. Short-eared Owl
- Scientific Name: Asio flammeus
Short-eared owls, widely distributed worldwide except in Antarctica and Australia, visit Connecticut during winter. They can be heard in open grasslands, including fields, marshes, and even airports.
These owls have striking yellow eyes with black rings, resembling mascara. While usually quiet, they produce “voo-hoo-hoo” calls.
Short-eared Owl Call | Source: Jamescandless, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
They are mostly nocturnal but can also be crepuscular.
Read More: What Michigan’s birds sing at night?
12. Long-eared Owl
- Scientific Name: Asio otus
These elusive birds blend well into open forests, marshy areas, and dense coniferous woods of the state. Long-eared owls can be heard singing at night in Connecticut in the winter months.
Very rare, they come alive shortly after dusk, remaining active throughout the night. These owls are generally quiet but make distinct calls. The male’s song resembles low-pitched “hoo” notes, like blowing across a bottle.
Long-eared Owl Call | Source: Alexander Kurthy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
They also have a distinctive juvenile begging call, though be cautious, as it can be confused with distant barking dogs or mooing cows.
13. Northern Saw-whet Owl
- Scientific Name: Aegolius acadicus
Connecticut’s smallest, Northern saw-whet owls are permanent residents of the state.
Named after their loud and repetitive whistles described as “a saw being sharpened on a whetstone,” you will hear their callings peak 2 hours after sunset and decrease until just before sunrise.
Listen for the tooting advertising song of males, a repeated “toot-toot-toot.” They give a variety of other calls, and later in the season, juveniles produce a raspy, hissing call.
The compound called porphyrin makes their flight feathers unique – the pigment gives their feathers a neon pink fluorescence when exposed to UV light.
14. Eastern Whip-poor-will
- Scientific Name: Antrostomus vociferus
Eastern whip-poor-wills visit CT during the breeding season. These cryptic nocturnal birds are heard more often than seen. They hide during the day, typically in pine barrens and forest openings.
At dawn and dusk, they begin singing their famous “whip-poor-will” song. Male whip-poor-wills make calls to mark their breeding territory and to attract a mate.
Eastern whip-poor-will Call | Source: G. McGrane, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
They hunt at night, catching flying insects from the ground. Similar to common nighthawks, their distinctive call helps differentiate the two species.
Read More: What birds can you hear singing at night in Arkansas?
15. Common Nighthawk
- Scientific Name: Chordeiles minor
During the summer breeding season in Connecticut, common nighthawks can be heard singing at dawn and dusk. These medium-sized raptors with deeply split tails and long wings are common around prairies, forests, savannahs, and urban areas.
These birds create a distinct peent sound and perform courtship displays with rapid dives that produce a booming sound as air rushes over their wings.
Common Nighthawk Call | Source: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Common nighthawks are well-camouflaged during the day, with gray, black, and brown plumage and white patches near the base of their primary feathers.
16. Common Gallinule
- Scientific Name: Gallinula galeata
Common gallinules are medium-sized marsh birds with dark plumage, white undertails, red frontal plates on their heads, and distinctive long legs and toes.
In the state, they are most common during the summer breeding season and prefer freshwater wetlands with open water and emergent vegetation.
They are most active during dawn and dusk, becoming more vocal from April to June during the breeding season. Listen for their “marsh chicken sound” and single “clucks,” which are their most commonly heard calls.
17. American Coot
- Scientific Name: Fulica americana
American coots are small water birds with black plumage, bright white beaks, red eyes, and yellow-green legs.
Although they resemble ducks, American coots are only distantly related to them. These winter residents of Connecticut can be seen and heard in freshwater wetlands with open water and emergent vegetation around dawn and dusk.
They produce a sharp “poot” call and a screeching “kree” sound, and they are particularly noisy swimmers, so you may also recognize them by splashing water sounds.
18. Clapper Rail
- Scientific Name: Rallus crepitans
Clapper rails are large brown birds found along the Atlantic coasts of the eastern United States, eastern Mexico, and some Caribbean islands. Nocturnal and somewhat secretive, these chicken-sized birds rarely fly and have grayish-brown plumage with orange bills that curve downwards.
In Connecticut, clapper rails can be heard throughout the coastal area year-round. They are most active at dawn and dusk with mated pairs singing together in the evening and slightly less during the morning hours.
You will hear males’ repeated “kek” calls and grunt or “clapper” calls that pairs use to communicate. When one bird begins to sing, neighboring birds usually join in.
Clapper rails have 4-16 creamy white eggs that have brownish blotches that both parents incubate; males will incubate them at night.
19. Black-crowned Night Heron
- Scientific Name: Nycticorax nycticorax
Black-crowned night herons can be occasionally heard around wooded swamps, ponds, lakes, and mangroves in CT.
Unlike many other herons, they’re active at night or dusk and also migrate in flocks during the night. Their name “Nycticorax” means “night raven” in Greek, reflecting their nocturnal habits and crow-like calls.
Black-crowned Night Heron Call | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
These herons often bait fish, luring prey with thrown food before striking with their long beaks.
20. Ovenbird
- Scientific name: Seiurus aurocapilla
Ovenbirds sing regularly at night but at a relatively low song rate in Connecticut. These small migratory songbirds can be heard during summer nights in the state.
You will often hear their territorial rapid, resounding “tea-cher, tea-cher” song consisting of 8-13 phrases. They also have several short calls, including the “ple-bleep,” “whink,” and high “tsip.”
Ovenbird Song | Source: G McGrane, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Ovenbirds got their name from the nest they built called the “oven” – it is a dome-like structure placed on the ground with a side entrance that makes it resemble a Dutch oven.
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What Birds Sing At Night In Connecticut?
The most common birds that sing at night in Connecticut are northern mockingbirds.
Mockingbirds singing all night are often young, unattached males or older males without a mate. In case you want to stop their nighttime singing, try to cover your tree with bird netting or add an owl/hawk cardboard cutout to scare them away.
You might have also heard yellow-breasted chats singing in the darkness as they call out to the females, American robins and their cheery carol, or even barn owls and their bone-chilling screams.
Read More: What birds sing at night in Minnesota?
Summary
Connecticut’s rich avifauna is brimming with nocturnal birds. Some can be seen year-round there, like several owl species and northern mockingbirds, while others, like yellow-breasted chats, and common nighthawks visit the state only to breed.
In case you’ve stumbled upon or heard any of these birds, we hope this guide helped you identify which ones they were.
Feel free to read our other popular guides on night birds commonly heard in NY and night birds commonly heard in GA.