The last seven days on iNaturalist, checked against five years

Rare Birds in Connecticut This Week

Q: What rare birds are in Connecticut this week?

The lists above, read live from iNaturalist: first the birds within 25 miles of Hartford, then the whole state. Each species is checked against five years of confirmed sightings, and the most unusual come first.

Q: How many bird species are seen in Connecticut?

366 bird species in 81,838 confirmed iNaturalist sightings between 2021-10-09 and 2026-10-01. 44 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the state, so a new one of them is news.

Q: What counts as rare in Connecticut?

Near Hartford or your own ZIP, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings within 25 miles in five years, or one that is seen there but almost never in these weeks of the year. On the statewide list, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings anywhere in Connecticut.

Q: Who confirms rare bird records in Connecticut?

The Avian Records Committee of Connecticut. From its page: “It also maintains and publishes a Review List of species of rare annual occurrence, rare historical occurrence, or no previously documented occurrence in Connecticut.”

Q: How do I see rare birds near me in Connecticut?

Enter your ZIP on the rare bird alert for a list around your own spot, and check it each week in spring and fall migration, when most strays turn up. Each bird links to its iNaturalist species page with photographs and a range map.

Q: Are needs ID sightings included?

Yes, for this week only, because confirmation takes days and a rare bird may be gone by then. The five year record the week is checked against counts research grade sightings only.

Connecticut logged 81,838 confirmed bird sightings across 366 species on iNaturalist in five years, and 44 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings. The live list near Hartford covers 25 miles around the city. The Avian Records Committee of Connecticut reviews rare bird records here.

Near Hartford

Rare birds near Hartford this week

Every bird posted within 25 miles of Hartford in the last seven days, with the ones that are rare there, out of season or uncommon first and the reason for each.

Reading this week's bird sightings within 25 miles of Hartford from iNaturalist.

Somewhere else in Connecticut? Enter your ZIP for the circle around it.

Connecticut birds on the record

iNaturalist, research grade

81,838

Confirmed bird sightings

research grade iNaturalist records, five years

366

Bird species on record

seen and confirmed in Connecticut

Species seen 3 times or fewer

12 percent of the state list, the birds that make news

25 mi

Live circle

around Hartford, or any ZIP you enter

Counted from iNaturalist’s research grade bird records in Connecticut from October 9, 2021 to October 1, 2026, read October 9, 2026.

Across Connecticut

The whole state this week

Every bird reported anywhere in Connecticut in the last seven days, checked against the state’s own five year record: Rare here means 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the whole state.

Reading this week's bird sightings across Connecticut from iNaturalist.

What turns up here

Who confirms a rare bird in Connecticut

366 bird species have confirmed iNaturalist records in Connecticut over five years, and 44 of them were confirmed 3 times or fewer. A sighting of one of those is the kind a state records committee reviews before it joins the official list.

Avian Records Committee of Connecticut

The committee reviews rare bird records in Connecticut.

“It also maintains and publishes a Review List of species of rare annual occurrence, rare historical occurrence, or no previously documented occurrence in Connecticut.”

Avian Records Committee of Connecticut, read October 9, 2026.

Nine birders and photographers on a wooden boardwalk over a marsh, with long lenses, a spotting scope and binoculars all pointed to the left, under spring trees — Birders and photographers setting up on an overlook. Word of an unusual bird travels this way: one person posts a photograph, and the people nearby go and look. “Birdwatchers stop to set up equipment at overlook”, Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain

Connecticut rare bird questions

What rare birds are in Connecticut this week?

How many bird species are seen in Connecticut?

What counts as rare in Connecticut?

Who confirms rare bird records in Connecticut?

How do I see rare birds near me in Connecticut?

Are needs ID sightings included?

More for Connecticut birders

Rare birds near any ZIPEnter a ZIP for this week’s unusual birds around it.Connecticut fall migrationWhen the big flights pass over.Connecticut hummingbird migrationWhen they arrive and when they leave.Connecticut snowy owlsWhere the winter irruptions reach.Connecticut winter birdsWhat comes to the feeder when it snows.Connecticut duck migrationWhen the ducks come through.

Rare birds in other states

Sightings and records from iNaturalist, read live for this week. The lists are built from counts per species, and each bird links to its species page. For your own spot, enter a ZIP on the rare bird alert.