Connecticut chose the American Robin as its state bird. Robins are all over Connecticut lawns, but they eat worms, insects and fruit rather than seed, so at the feeder the robin comes in sixteenth, at about two thirds of sites.
What makes Connecticut's list unusual is the top: four different birds, all within two percentage points of each other.
The twelve birds Connecticut feeders report most
From Project FeederWatch, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's winter count, in which volunteers record what turns up at their own feeders. The 2023–24 season had 319 participants in Connecticut — a solid sample for a small state. The percentage is the share of Connecticut feeder sites that reported the bird at least once.
| # | Bird | Share of CT feeders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dark-eyed Junco | 94.2% |
| 2 | Black-capped Chickadee | 93.6% |
| 3 | Northern Cardinal | 93.3% |
| 4 | Tufted Titmouse | 92.4% |
| 5 | Downy Woodpecker | 90.9% |
| 6 | Mourning Dove | 89.6% |
| 7 | Blue Jay | 89.6% |
| 8 | White-breasted Nuthatch | 88.4% |
| 9 | House Finch | 88.1% |
| 10 | Red-bellied Woodpecker | 85.1% |
| 11 | Carolina Wren | 77.1% |
| 12 | American Goldfinch | 75.6% |
Four things in that list worth knowing
A photo finish at the top
Junco 94.2%, chickadee 93.6%, cardinal 93.3%, titmouse 92.4%. With 319 feeders in the count, the gap between first and fourth is a handful of sites. In practice, a Connecticut feeder in winter gets all four.
First place goes to a winter visitor
The Dark-eyed Junco breeds further north and in the mountains, and comes down into Connecticut for the winter. Slate-grey above, white belly, pale pink bill — and it feeds on the ground under the feeder, not on it. Scatter a little seed on a low tray and you will see the most reported bird in the state.
Ten birds at more than 85% of feeders
Everything from the junco down to the Red-bellied Woodpecker is at more than five out of six Connecticut feeders. That includes three bark specialists — Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch and Red-bellied Woodpecker — which is what a wooded state looks like at the suet.
The grackles arrive as a crowd
Common Grackle is lower down, at 58% of sites, but when grackles show up they average more than eleven birds at a time — the largest groups on the whole Connecticut list. Weight-triggered feeders that close under a heavy bird are the usual answer.
What is on our Connecticut mug, and where each bird actually ranks
The Backyard Birds of Connecticut mug shows the Black-capped Chickadee (#2, 94%), the Northern Cardinal (#3, 93%), the Blue Jay (#7, 90%) and the House Finch (#9, 88%). All four are in the Connecticut top ten.
The ones we would add next are the Dark-eyed Junco (#1) and the Tufted Titmouse (#4). They are on the list of designs we still owe this state.
If you want more of them
Black-oil sunflower seed covers the chickadee, cardinal, titmouse, nuthatch, jay and House Finch at once. Suet keeps the woodpeckers and the Carolina Wren coming through the cold. A low tray or bare ground brings in the juncos and doves. Nyjer in a mesh sock holds the goldfinches.
Where these numbers come from: Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Top 25 Feeder Birds for Connecticut, 2023–24 season. These are volunteer reports from their own feeders, not a formal survey, and they describe the winter feeding season rather than the whole year. Percentages are the share of participating sites that reported the species; group sizes are the average when the bird was seen.
See the mugs for the other states → · Identify a bird in three questions →