Birds in District of Columbia in May: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in District of Columbia in May in our iNaturalist sample; 17 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

Mallard588 obs.

American Robin403 obs.

House Sparrow359 obs.

European Starling341 obs.

Gray Catbird242 obs.

Northern Cardinal217 obs.

Common Grackle188 obs.

Great Blue Heron180 obs.

Canada Goose179 obs.

Northern Mockingbird166 obs.

Blue Jay162 obs.

Mourning Dove158 obs.

All birds seen in District of Columbia in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	588	Apr (past peak)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	403	Apr (past peak)
3	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	359	Apr (past peak)
4	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	341	Apr (past peak)
5	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	242	Jun (rising)
6	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	217	Apr (past peak)
7	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	188	Apr (past peak)
8	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	180	May (peak)
9	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	179	May (peak)
10	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	166	Apr (past peak)
11	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	162	Jun (rising)
12	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	158	Apr (past peak)
13	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	128	Apr (past peak)
14	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	114	Apr (past peak)
15	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	106	May (peak)
16	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	99	May (peak)
17	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	85	Apr (past peak)
18	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	80	Apr (past peak)
19	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	79	May (peak)
20	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	66	May (peak)
21	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	65	May (peak)
22	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	62	May (peak)
23	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	56	Sep (rising)
24	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	55	Jun (rising)
25	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	55	May (peak)
26	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	55	Apr (past peak)
27	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	52	Jan (past peak)
28	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	52	Aug (rising)
29	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	50	Mar (past peak)
30	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	50	Apr (past peak)
31	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	49	Jan (past peak)
32	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Polioptila caerulea	Gnatcatchers and Gnatwrens	48	Apr (past peak)
33	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	48	May (peak)
34	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	48	Mar (past peak)
35	Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	Cardinals and Allies	47	May (peak)
36	Wood Thrush	Hylocichla mustelina	Thrushes	47	May (peak)
37	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	45	Oct (rising)
38	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	45	Mar (past peak)
39	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	44	Apr (past peak)
40	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	43	Mar (past peak)
41	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	43	Sep (rising)
42	Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	Thrushes	43	May (peak)
43	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	43	May (peak)
44	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	41	May (peak)
45	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	38	Sep (rising)
46	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	37	Apr (past peak)
47	Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	New World Warblers	37	May (peak)
48	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	35	Jul (rising)
49	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	35	Apr (past peak)
50	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	35	May (peak)

Birds Seen in District of Columbia in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in District of Columbia in May