Connecticut Ornithological Association
RESOURCES FOR BIRDERS
Print & Audio Resources
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Connecticut Specific Books | Field Checklists | Field Guides Audio Resources | UConn Resources | Links

Connecticut Specific Books

The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Connecticut. 1994. State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut. Edited by Louis R. Bevier. Illustrations by Michael DiGiorgio. Text and maps describe the breeding status and distribution of the birds or Connecticut.

Connecticut Birding Guide. 1996. Thomson-Shore, Inc. Buzz Devine and Dwight G. Smith. Illustrations by Mark S. Szantyr. Bird finding in Connecticut. Detailed text and maps on 84 birding sites arranged by major geographical regions.

Connecticut Birds. 1990. University Press of New England. Joseph D. Zeranski and Thomas R. Baptist.
The first assessment of Connecticut birds in 75 years catalogs occurrence and distribution, and summarizes population trends.

Finding Birds in Connecticut. 1996. Dave Rosgen and Gene Billings. Habitat based focus on 450 birding sites in Connecticut. Arranged by counties.

Field Checklists

Field Checklist. Birds of Connecticut. 2002. Connecticut Ornithological Association.
Edited by David F. Provencher. 3-fold checklist includes 406 species (as of 2002). Rare, Sight Record only, and Introduced, noted.

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Field Guides

A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America, 5th Edition, 2002. Roger Tory Peterson, New York: Houghton Mifflin. The genesis of the user friendly field guide by the father of modern bird watching, Connecticut's own Roger Tory Peterson.

Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America. 2000, Kenn Kaufman, New York: Houghton Mifflin.

National Geographic Field Guide To The Birds Of North America, 4th Edition. 2002, Washington, DC: National Geographic Society.

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America. 2003, David Allen Sibley, New York: Alfred A. Knopf.  Excellent guide consisting of artwork and text. A bit big for a "field Guide" but considered a 'required reference' by serious birders.

Stokes Field Guide to Birds : Eastern Region. 1996, Donald & Lillian Stokes, New York: Little, Brown & Co.

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Audio Resources

A Field Guide to Bird Songs of Eastern and Central North America. 1999. Edited by Roger Tory Peterson.
Knowing the vocalizations of the birds increases your level of birding success and enjoyment tremendously. This is a highly recommended beginning to learning the sounds of Connecticut's birds. Over 250 species.

Guide to Bird Sounds. 1985. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
179 species. A good compliment to the Peterson Bird Songs.

Additional Recommendations

Birding by Ear: Guide to Bird Song Identification. Revised 1999. And...
More Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central. 1994. Richard Walton and Robert Lawson.
Many birds sound alike. This system helps you sort out similar sounds by direct comparison. Having trouble separating Carolina Wren from Kentucky Warbler? Try these!

Stokes Field Guide to Bird Song (Eastern). 1997. Comes with a helpful booklet with precise descriptions of calls and songs of 372 species.

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Ornithological Resources at The University of Connecticut
The following was graciously supplied by Connecticut State Ornithologist Margaret Rubega

The Vertebrate Collection here contains about 19,000 bird specimens, and has more study skins of birds taken in Connecticut than any other collection in the world; it also contains about 1000 skeletons, 1000+
fluid-preserved specimens, one of the very few feather collections in the world (compiled by Alan Brush), and a collection of nests, many of which date from around the turn of the century. 9939 of the 19,000 specimens are cataloged on-line, at the Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology's
web site: the catalog can be accessed at: http://collections2.eeb.uconn.edu/collections/birds/birds.html

Editor's note:
This is a research collection and permission is required for access. Inquire with curator of birds:
Margaret Rubega
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Connecticut
75 North Eagleville Rd., U-43
Storrs, CT 06269
rubega@uconnvm.uconn.edu
Office: 860-486-4502
Fax: 860-486-6364

Individuals in need of information on diagnoses of dead or dying birds, or who desire a necropsy on dead birds can inquire at:

The Northeast Research Center for Wildlife Diseases
University of Connecticut, Dept. of Pathobiology
61 N. Eagleville Rd., U-89
Storrs, CT 06269
860-486-3738

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