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

60 birds were recorded seen in Connecticut in May in our iNaturalist sample; 20 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 Robin641 obs.

Gray Catbird586 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird446 obs.

Baltimore Oriole443 obs.

Canada Goose426 obs.

House Sparrow354 obs.

Tree Swallow336 obs.

Northern Yellow Warbler322 obs.

Northern Cardinal321 obs.

Osprey283 obs.

Mallard273 obs.

Song Sparrow270 obs.

All birds seen in Connecticut in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	641	Apr (past peak)
2	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	586	May (peak)
3	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	446	May (peak)
4	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	443	May (peak)
5	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	426	May (peak)
6	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	354	Feb (past peak)
7	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	336	May (peak)
8	Northern Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	New World Warblers	322	May (peak)
9	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	321	Apr (past peak)
10	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	283	Apr (past peak)
11	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	273	Apr (past peak)
12	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	270	Oct (rising)
13	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	249	Apr (past peak)
14	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	243	Aug (rising)
15	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	235	Apr (past peak)
16	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	234	May (peak)
17	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	225	May (peak)
18	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	224	Apr (past peak)
19	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	219	Apr (past peak)
20	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	216	Apr (past peak)
21	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	203	May (peak)
22	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	201	Aug (rising)
23	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	196	Apr (past peak)
24	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	188	Aug (rising)
25	Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	Cardinals and Allies	182	May (peak)
26	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	180	Apr (past peak)
27	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	179	May (peak)
28	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	175	Aug (rising)
29	Wood Thrush	Hylocichla mustelina	Thrushes	174	May (peak)
30	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	172	May (peak)
31	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	171	Apr (past peak)
32	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	161	Jan (past peak)
33	Veery	Catharus fuscescens	Thrushes	158	May (peak)
34	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	154	Apr (past peak)
35	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	152	Aug (rising)
36	Brant	Branta bernicla	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	148	Apr (past peak)
37	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	145	Apr (past peak)
38	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	143	Mar (past peak)
39	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	143	Apr (past peak)
40	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	140	Jun (rising)
41	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	138	May (peak)
42	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	135	May (peak)
43	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	133	Jan (past peak)
44	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	130	Apr (past peak)
45	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	129	May (peak)
46	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	128	May (peak)
47	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	127	Aug (rising)
48	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	122	May (peak)
49	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	122	May (peak)
50	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	120	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Connecticut in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Connecticut in May