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

60 birds were recorded seen in Florida in May in our iNaturalist sample; 4 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

White Ibis3,418 obs.

Great Blue Heron3,241 obs.

Anhinga2,682 obs.

Great Egret2,643 obs.

Northern Cardinal2,493 obs.

Osprey2,229 obs.

Northern Mockingbird2,186 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk2,135 obs.

Boat-tailed Grackle2,013 obs.

Common Gallinule1,997 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker1,929 obs.

Little Blue Heron1,920 obs.

All birds seen in Florida in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	3,418	Mar (past peak)
2	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	3,241	Mar (past peak)
3	Anhinga	Anhinga anhinga	Darters	2,682	Jan (past peak)
4	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	2,643	Jan (past peak)
5	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	2,493	Apr (past peak)
6	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	2,229	Mar (past peak)
7	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	2,186	Apr (past peak)
8	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	2,135	Jan (past peak)
9	Boat-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus major	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,013	Mar (past peak)
10	Common Gallinule	Gallinula galeata	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	1,997	Apr (past peak)
11	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	1,929	Apr (past peak)
12	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,920	Jan (past peak)
13	Tricolored Heron	Egretta tricolor	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,831	Mar (past peak)
14	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,753	Apr (past peak)
15	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	1,628	Apr (past peak)
16	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	1,605	Mar (past peak)
17	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,487	Apr (past peak)
18	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,486	May (peak)
19	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,485	Jan (past peak)
20	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	1,435	Mar (past peak)
21	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	1,428	Mar (past peak)
22	Swallow-tailed Kite	Elanoides forficatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,376	Mar (past peak)
23	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	1,328	Apr (past peak)
24	Limpkin	Aramus guarauna	Limpkins	1,264	Mar (past peak)
25	Black-bellied Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna autumnalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,234	May (peak)
26	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	1,193	Dec (rising)
27	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	1,153	May (peak)
28	Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Sandpipers and Allies	1,091	Dec (rising)
29	Roseate Spoonbill	Platalea ajaja	Ibises and Spoonbills	1,072	Jan (past peak)
30	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	1,012	Mar (past peak)
31	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	941	Apr (past peak)
32	Wood Stork	Mycteria americana	Storks	918	Jan (past peak)
33	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	910	Mar (past peak)
34	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	910	Apr (past peak)
35	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	856	Apr (past peak)
36	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	855	Apr (past peak)
37	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	810	Apr (past peak)
38	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	736	May (peak)
39	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	735	Apr (past peak)
40	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	728	Apr (past peak)
41	Black-necked Stilt	Himantopus mexicanus	Stilts and Avocets	714	Apr (past peak)
42	Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	New World Warblers	714	Apr (past peak)
43	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	669	Oct (rising)
44	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	660	Mar (past peak)
45	Western Cattle-Egret	Ardea ibis	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	644	Mar (past peak)
46	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	632	Jan (past peak)
47	Black-bellied Plover	Pluvialis squatarola	Plovers and Lapwings	626	Apr (past peak)
48	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	624	Mar (past peak)
49	Royal Tern	Thalasseus maximus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	615	Jan (past peak)
50	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	610	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Florida in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Florida in May