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

60 birds were recorded seen in Mississippi in May in our iNaturalist sample; 10 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

Eastern Bluebird173 obs.

Northern Mockingbird159 obs.

Canada Goose139 obs.

Northern Cardinal133 obs.

Orchard Oriole125 obs.

Brown Thrasher124 obs.

Great Blue Heron121 obs.

Eastern Kingbird116 obs.

Summer Tanager109 obs.

Blue Jay106 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird106 obs.

Carolina Wren103 obs.

All birds seen in Mississippi in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	173	Apr (past peak)
2	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	159	Apr (past peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	139	Apr (past peak)
4	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	133	Aug (rising)
5	Orchard Oriole	Icterus spurius	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	125	Apr (past peak)
6	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	124	Apr (past peak)
7	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	121	Dec (rising)
8	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	116	Apr (past peak)
9	Summer Tanager	Piranga rubra	Cardinals and Allies	109	Apr (past peak)
10	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	106	Oct (rising)
11	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	106	Apr (past peak)
12	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	103	Apr (past peak)
13	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	102	Aug (rising)
14	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	102	May (peak)
15	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	93	Apr (past peak)
16	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	93	May (peak)
17	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	91	Jun (rising)
18	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	91	May (peak)
19	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	91	Jan (past peak)
20	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	91	Dec (rising)
21	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	91	Mar (past peak)
22	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	90	Sep (rising)
23	Black-bellied Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna autumnalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	86	May (peak)
24	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	86	Apr (past peak)
25	Prothonotary Warbler	Protonotaria citrea	New World Warblers	86	Apr (past peak)
26	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	85	Apr (past peak)
27	Least Tern	Sternula antillarum	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	82	Apr (past peak)
28	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	74	Jun (rising)
29	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	70	Apr (past peak)
30	Mississippi Kite	Ictinia mississippiensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	62	Jul (rising)
31	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	59	Jun (rising)
32	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	59	Apr (past peak)
33	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	57	Aug (rising)
34	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	56	Mar (past peak)
35	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	56	Jan (past peak)
36	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	55	May (peak)
37	Purple Martin	Progne subis	Swallows and Martins	54	May (peak)
38	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	53	May (peak)
39	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	50	Apr (past peak)
40	Yellow-billed Cuckoo	Coccyzus americanus	Cuckoos	48	May (peak)
41	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	46	Apr (past peak)
42	White-eyed Vireo	Vireo griseus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	46	Apr (past peak)
43	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	46	Dec (rising)
44	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	45	Jan (past peak)
45	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	45	Apr (past peak)
46	Common Nighthawk	Chordeiles minor	Nightjars and Allies	44	May (peak)
47	Blue Grosbeak	Passerina caerulea	Cardinals and Allies	44	Apr (past peak)
48	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Polioptila caerulea	Gnatcatchers and Gnatwrens	43	Apr (past peak)
49	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	42	Oct (rising)
50	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	42	May (peak)

Birds Seen in Mississippi in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Mississippi in May