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

60 birds were recorded seen in Arkansas in May in our iNaturalist sample; 23 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

American Robin521 obs.

Indigo Bunting430 obs.

Northern Cardinal400 obs.

Summer Tanager320 obs.

Eastern Bluebird303 obs.

Eastern Kingbird261 obs.

Canada Goose252 obs.

House Finch247 obs.

Mourning Dove246 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird241 obs.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher240 obs.

Blue Jay238 obs.

All birds seen in Arkansas in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	521	Apr (past peak)
2	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	430	May (peak)
3	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	400	Jan (past peak)
4	Summer Tanager	Piranga rubra	Cardinals and Allies	320	May (peak)
5	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	303	May (peak)
6	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	261	May (peak)
7	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	252	Apr (past peak)
8	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	247	Jan (past peak)
9	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	246	May (peak)
10	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	241	May (peak)
11	Scissor-tailed Flycatcher	Tyrannus forficatus	Tyrant Flycatchers	240	May (peak)
12	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	238	May (peak)
13	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	236	Apr (past peak)
14	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	218	Sep (rising)
15	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	217	Apr (past peak)
16	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	212	May (peak)
17	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	203	Apr (past peak)
18	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	197	Jan (past peak)
19	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	193	May (peak)
20	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	189	Sep (rising)
21	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	189	May (peak)
22	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	182	May (peak)
23	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	179	May (peak)
24	Dickcissel	Spiza americana	Cardinals and Allies	178	May (peak)
25	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	177	Apr (past peak)
26	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	164	Jan (past peak)
27	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	163	Apr (past peak)
28	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	147	Mar (past peak)
29	Mississippi Kite	Ictinia mississippiensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	145	Jul (rising)
30	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	145	Jan (past peak)
31	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	145	Mar (past peak)
32	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	141	Aug (rising)
33	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	127	Apr (past peak)
34	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	127	Apr (past peak)
35	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	127	May (peak)
36	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	124	May (peak)
37	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	119	Jan (past peak)
38	Orchard Oriole	Icterus spurius	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	109	May (peak)
39	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	104	Apr (past peak)
40	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	94	Apr (past peak)
41	Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	Thrushes	94	May (peak)
42	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	90	May (peak)
43	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	88	Mar (past peak)
44	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	86	Feb (past peak)
45	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	86	May (peak)
46	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	85	May (peak)
47	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	73	Apr (past peak)
48	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	72	May (peak)
49	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	Sandpipers and Allies	71	May (peak)
50	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	69	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Arkansas in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Arkansas in May