Birds in Alabama in May: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Alabama in May in our iNaturalist sample; 3 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in May

Northern Cardinal609 obs.

Great Blue Heron525 obs.

Eastern Bluebird386 obs.

Northern Mockingbird381 obs.

Canada Goose310 obs.

House Finch304 obs.

Brown Thrasher289 obs.

Mourning Dove287 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker286 obs.

Blue Jay271 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird247 obs.

Summer Tanager246 obs.

All birds seen in Alabama in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	609	Apr (past peak)
2	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	525	Apr (past peak)
3	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	386	Apr (past peak)
4	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	381	Apr (past peak)
5	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	310	Apr (past peak)
6	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	304	Apr (past peak)
7	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	289	Apr (past peak)
8	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	287	Apr (past peak)
9	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	286	Apr (past peak)
10	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	271	Apr (past peak)
11	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	247	Apr (past peak)
12	Summer Tanager	Piranga rubra	Cardinals and Allies	246	Apr (past peak)
13	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	242	Apr (past peak)
14	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	233	Jan (past peak)
15	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	231	Apr (past peak)
16	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	228	May (peak)
17	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	225	Apr (past peak)
18	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	222	Oct (rising)
19	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	205	Sep (rising)
20	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	192	Apr (past peak)
21	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	186	Apr (past peak)
22	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	184	Apr (past peak)
23	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	178	Apr (past peak)
24	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	175	Apr (past peak)
25	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	174	Jun (rising)
26	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	162	Jan (past peak)
27	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	152	May (peak)
28	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	151	Apr (past peak)
29	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	148	Apr (past peak)
30	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	147	Apr (past peak)
31	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	146	Apr (past peak)
32	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	138	Apr (past peak)
33	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	135	Apr (past peak)
34	Blue Grosbeak	Passerina caerulea	Cardinals and Allies	135	Apr (past peak)
35	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	130	Sep (rising)
36	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	123	Jan (past peak)
37	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	119	Sep (rising)
38	Orchard Oriole	Icterus spurius	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	119	Apr (past peak)
39	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	118	Apr (past peak)
40	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	114	Oct (rising)
41	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	114	Jan (past peak)
42	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	111	Jan (past peak)
43	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	110	Apr (past peak)
44	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	109	Apr (past peak)
45	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	106	Feb (past peak)
46	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	105	Mar (past peak)
47	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	96	Apr (past peak)
48	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	95	Jan (past peak)
49	Yellow-breasted Chat	Icteria virens	Yellow-breasted Chats	90	May (peak)
50	White-eyed Vireo	Vireo griseus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	90	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Alabama in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Alabama in May