Sea Birds in Connecticut

There are a wide variety of seabirds such as penguins, gulls, ducks, boobies, alcids and albatross that spend most of their lives on the ocean, coming to shore only to breed. Approximately 95 percent of seabirds breed in colonies along the shore, making Connecticut's 100-plus miles of coastline home to hundreds of birds. Seabirds found in Connecticut include the snowy egret, great back-blacked gull, purple sandpiper and black-bellied plover.

  1. Snowy Egret

    • The snowy egret was once considered threatened in Connecticut but is making a comeback due to protection laws. It has a white body, black legs and bill and yellow feet. The egret can live to more than 16 years old and breeds in shallow coastal areas and marshes up and down the entire Eastern Seaboard. It eats shrimp, snails, crayfish and lizards and is part of the heron family.

    Great Back-Blacked Gull

    • The back-blacked gull is the largest gull in the world. It has a white underbody, black wings and back, pale pink legs and a yellow bill with a red spot on the mandible. The back-blacked gull is found on barrier beaches, small islands and salt marshes along the Connecticut coast in the summer. In the winter, the gull travels way out to sea and eats fish driven to the surface by the humpback whale. Gulls nest with other gulls but are predatory, stealing from other gulls.

    Purple Sandpiper

    • The sandpiper is found in the winter on the Connecticut coast along rocky shores, low tundra and manmade jetties. Its body is slate gray with a faint purplish gloss. The purple sandpiper is considered the northernmost range bird of any shorebird and can be found as far north as Greenland or Iceland. This bird eats insects, seeds, berries and spiders; when it feels threatened, it raises one of its wings.

    Back-Bellied Plover

    • This plover is the largest plover in North America and is found along the Connecticut coast in the winter. It is black and white on top, solid black under the arms, solid white on the rump and is the only plover with a hind toe on its foot. The plover is extremely wary, making it more sensitive to disturbances in its surroundings than most birds, allowing it to warn and protect its nest when a potential threat is still far away.