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

60 birds were recorded seen in Kentucky in May in our iNaturalist sample; 16 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 Robin551 obs.

Northern Cardinal335 obs.

Canada Goose287 obs.

Indigo Bunting267 obs.

Mourning Dove233 obs.

Brown-headed Cowbird204 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird191 obs.

House Finch191 obs.

Mallard185 obs.

Summer Tanager181 obs.

Wild Turkey177 obs.

European Starling176 obs.

All birds seen in Kentucky in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	551	Apr (past peak)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	335	Apr (past peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	287	Apr (past peak)
4	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	267	May (peak)
5	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	233	Apr (past peak)
6	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	204	Apr (past peak)
7	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	191	Apr (past peak)
8	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	191	May (peak)
9	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	185	Apr (past peak)
10	Summer Tanager	Piranga rubra	Cardinals and Allies	181	May (peak)
11	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	177	Apr (past peak)
12	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	176	Apr (past peak)
13	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	175	Apr (past peak)
14	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	174	Apr (past peak)
15	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	165	May (peak)
16	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	157	Apr (past peak)
17	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	155	Apr (past peak)
18	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	151	Apr (past peak)
19	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	151	Apr (past peak)
20	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	133	Apr (past peak)
21	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	132	Apr (past peak)
22	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	126	Apr (past peak)
23	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	120	Apr (past peak)
24	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	119	Apr (past peak)
25	Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	Thrushes	117	May (peak)
26	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	116	May (peak)
27	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	115	Apr (past peak)
28	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	114	May (peak)
29	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	113	May (peak)
30	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	113	Apr (past peak)
31	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	107	Mar (past peak)
32	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	100	Apr (past peak)
33	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	100	Apr (past peak)
34	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	99	Apr (past peak)
35	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	97	Jun (rising)
36	Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	Cardinals and Allies	90	May (peak)
37	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	89	Apr (past peak)
38	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	87	May (peak)
39	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	86	Apr (past peak)
40	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	86	May (peak)
41	Prothonotary Warbler	Protonotaria citrea	New World Warblers	82	Apr (past peak)
42	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	81	May (peak)
43	Wood Thrush	Hylocichla mustelina	Thrushes	80	Apr (past peak)
44	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	79	May (peak)
45	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	76	May (peak)
46	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	76	Aug (rising)
47	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	76	Sep (rising)
48	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	73	May (peak)
49	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	71	May (peak)
50	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	69	Feb (past peak)

Birds Seen in Kentucky in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Kentucky in May