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

60 birds were recorded seen in Louisiana 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

Northern Cardinal496 obs.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck389 obs.

Northern Mockingbird381 obs.

Mississippi Kite348 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird330 obs.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron305 obs.

Great Egret298 obs.

Blue Jay279 obs.

House Sparrow263 obs.

Prothonotary Warbler258 obs.

Eastern Kingbird256 obs.

Carolina Wren250 obs.

All birds seen in Louisiana in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	496	Apr (past peak)
2	Black-bellied Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna autumnalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	389	Apr (past peak)
3	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	381	Apr (past peak)
4	Mississippi Kite	Ictinia mississippiensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	348	May (peak)
5	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	330	Apr (past peak)
6	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	305	Apr (past peak)
7	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	298	Apr (past peak)
8	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	279	Apr (past peak)
9	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	263	Apr (past peak)
10	Prothonotary Warbler	Protonotaria citrea	New World Warblers	258	Apr (past peak)
11	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	256	Apr (past peak)
12	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	250	Apr (past peak)
13	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	245	Apr (past peak)
14	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	244	Apr (past peak)
15	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	221	Apr (past peak)
16	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	204	Apr (past peak)
17	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	203	Apr (past peak)
18	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	189	Apr (past peak)
19	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	188	Oct (rising)
20	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	183	Apr (past peak)
21	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	181	Apr (past peak)
22	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	181	Apr (past peak)
23	Summer Tanager	Piranga rubra	Cardinals and Allies	177	Apr (past peak)
24	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	172	Apr (past peak)
25	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	171	Apr (past peak)
26	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	170	Apr (past peak)
27	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	169	Apr (past peak)
28	Painted Bunting	Passerina ciris	Cardinals and Allies	162	Apr (past peak)
29	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	156	Apr (past peak)
30	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	154	Apr (past peak)
31	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	153	Apr (past peak)
32	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	150	Apr (past peak)
33	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	149	Apr (past peak)
34	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	147	Apr (past peak)
35	Western Cattle-Egret	Ardea ibis	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	142	Apr (past peak)
36	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	139	Apr (past peak)
37	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	136	May (peak)
38	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	135	Apr (past peak)
39	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	131	Apr (past peak)
40	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	129	Apr (past peak)
41	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	126	Apr (past peak)
42	Anhinga	Anhinga anhinga	Darters	123	Dec (rising)
43	Yellow-billed Cuckoo	Coccyzus americanus	Cuckoos	120	Apr (past peak)
44	Orchard Oriole	Icterus spurius	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	113	Apr (past peak)
45	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	112	Apr (past peak)
46	Dickcissel	Spiza americana	Cardinals and Allies	111	May (peak)
47	Purple Martin	Progne subis	Swallows and Martins	110	Apr (past peak)
48	Semipalmated Sandpiper	Calidris pusilla	Sandpipers and Allies	108	May (peak)
49	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	107	Apr (past peak)
50	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	102	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Louisiana in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Louisiana in May