WhenToBird

Bubo virginianus · Strigidae

When Do Great Horned Owls Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult Great Horned Owl
Photo: Michael Warner, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Great Horned Owls are winter birds in Connecticut: they arrive in the second week of August, peak in late December (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common byAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakDec 22-31late December
Most gone byMay 15-21mid May

Best: late December. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 1.3% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.8% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.9% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.5% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.7% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.0% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.0% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.8% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 16616 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Connecticut that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Windham CountyBest late January · 437 checklists that week, 19,034 in all3.0%
  2. Fairfield CountyBest late December · 4106 checklists that week, 139,848 in all2.2%
  3. Middlesex CountyBest mid April · 1085 checklists that week, 39,919 in all1.8%
  4. Hartford CountyBest late November · 2328 checklists that week, 105,735 in all1.5%
  5. Tolland CountyBest late December · 714 checklists that week, 39,004 in all1.4%
  6. New London CountyBest early April · 1210 checklists that week, 65,205 in all1.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shingle Mill PondNew London County, best the second week of April · 21 checklists that week, 402 in all55%
  2. Perrys Millpond (Orchard Hill)Fairfield County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 255 in all42%
  3. Schreeder PondMiddlesex County, best the second week of April · 51 checklists that week, 532 in all29%
  4. Greenwich Point ParkFairfield County, best the second week of January · 105 checklists that week, 2,871 in all28%
  5. Burritt CoveFairfield County, best late April · 46 checklists that week, 772 in all26%
  6. Sherwood Island State ParkFairfield County, best mid November · 105 checklists that week, 6,315 in all22%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Great Horned Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 1.5% of 33657 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 62964 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 70645 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 64870 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 58827 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 1.1% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January1.4%1.0%0.9%1.1%
February0.9%0.6%0.7%0.7%
March0.8%0.8%0.8%0.8%
April0.8%0.9%0.8%0.7%
May0.6%0.5%0.5%0.4%
June0.4%0.4%0.3%0.2%
July0.3%0.2%0.4%0.3%
August0.4%0.5%0.5%0.7%
September0.8%1.0%0.9%1.0%
October0.7%1.1%1.0%0.9%
November0.8%1.0%1.0%1.1%
December1.1%1.0%1.2%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Great Horned Owls arrive in Connecticut?
Great Horned Owls are winter birds in Connecticut: they arrive in the second week of August, peak in late December (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do Great Horned Owls leave Connecticut?
Most Great Horned Owls have left Connecticut by mid May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Great Horned Owl in Connecticut?
The Great Horned Owl is reported most often in late December, on about 1.3% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Great Horned Owls seen most often?
By county, Windham County, Fairfield County, and Middlesex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Great Horned Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).