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

60 birds were recorded seen in Massachusetts 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 Robin3,412 obs.

Gray Catbird2,507 obs.

Canada Goose2,438 obs.

Baltimore Oriole2,320 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird2,308 obs.

Mallard1,773 obs.

Wild Turkey1,736 obs.

Northern Cardinal1,609 obs.

House Sparrow1,479 obs.

Song Sparrow1,371 obs.

Common Grackle1,353 obs.

Northern Yellow Warbler1,312 obs.

All birds seen in Massachusetts in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	3,412	Apr (past peak)
2	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	2,507	May (peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,438	Apr (past peak)
4	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,320	May (peak)
5	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,308	May (peak)
6	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,773	Apr (past peak)
7	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	1,736	Apr (past peak)
8	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,609	Apr (past peak)
9	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	1,479	Apr (past peak)
10	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	1,371	Apr (past peak)
11	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,353	Apr (past peak)
12	Northern Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	New World Warblers	1,312	May (peak)
13	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,250	May (peak)
14	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	1,220	Apr (past peak)
15	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	1,112	Apr (past peak)
16	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	1,105	May (peak)
17	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	985	Apr (past peak)
18	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	962	May (peak)
19	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	944	Apr (past peak)
20	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	929	May (peak)
21	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	910	Aug (rising)
22	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	907	Apr (past peak)
23	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	893	May (peak)
24	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	878	May (peak)
25	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	846	May (peak)
26	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	836	Apr (past peak)
27	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	805	May (peak)
28	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	733	Apr (past peak)
29	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	732	May (peak)
30	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	721	Apr (past peak)
31	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	696	Aug (rising)
32	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	683	May (peak)
33	Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	New World Warblers	642	May (peak)
34	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	634	Apr (past peak)
35	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	633	Oct (rising)
36	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	625	Apr (past peak)
37	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	617	Apr (past peak)
38	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	595	May (peak)
39	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	587	Apr (past peak)
40	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	543	Aug (rising)
41	Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	Cardinals and Allies	540	May (peak)
42	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	526	Apr (past peak)
43	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	518	May (peak)
44	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	502	Apr (past peak)
45	Willet	Tringa semipalmata	Sandpipers and Allies	500	May (peak)
46	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	498	Aug (rising)
47	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	492	Aug (rising)
48	Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	New World Warblers	473	May (peak)
49	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	469	Apr (past peak)
50	Piping Plover	Charadrius melodus	Plovers and Lapwings	441	Jun (rising)

Birds Seen in Massachusetts in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Massachusetts in May