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

60 birds were recorded seen in Montana in May in our iNaturalist sample; 22 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 Robin315 obs.

Canada Goose257 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird234 obs.

Mallard205 obs.

Black-billed Magpie199 obs.

Yellow-headed Blackbird184 obs.

Tree Swallow168 obs.

Sandhill Crane163 obs.

Bald Eagle161 obs.

Osprey153 obs.

Wild Turkey152 obs.

Chipping Sparrow152 obs.

All birds seen in Montana in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	315	Jun (rising)
2	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	257	May (peak)
3	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	234	May (peak)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	205	May (peak)
5	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	199	Jun (rising)
6	Yellow-headed Blackbird	Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	184	May (peak)
7	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	168	Jun (rising)
8	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	163	May (peak)
9	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	161	Jul (rising)
10	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	153	Aug (rising)
11	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	152	May (peak)
12	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	152	May (peak)
13	Northern Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	New World Warblers	144	May (peak)
14	Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	143	Jun (rising)
15	Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	Thrushes	141	Jun (rising)
16	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	128	May (peak)
17	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	122	May (peak)
18	Vesper Sparrow	Pooecetes gramineus	New World Sparrows	118	Jun (rising)
19	Evening Grosbeak	Hesperiphona vespertina	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	118	May (peak)
20	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	116	Sep (rising)
21	Brewer's Blackbird	Euphagus cyanocephalus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	114	Jun (rising)
22	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	114	Jun (rising)
23	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	Sandpipers and Allies	113	Jul (rising)
24	Lazuli Bunting	Passerina amoena	Cardinals and Allies	112	Jun (rising)
25	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	109	Jun (rising)
26	Calliope Hummingbird	Selasphorus calliope	Hummingbirds	103	May (peak)
27	Western Tanager	Piranga ludoviciana	Cardinals and Allies	102	Jun (rising)
28	Cinnamon Teal	Spatula cyanoptera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	102	May (peak)
29	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	101	Jun (rising)
30	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	96	Jul (rising)
31	Wilson's Phalarope	Phalaropus tricolor	Sandpipers and Allies	93	Jun (rising)
32	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	92	Jul (rising)
33	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	86	Jun (rising)
34	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	84	Jul (rising)
35	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	83	Jun (rising)
36	Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	Thrushes	83	Jul (rising)
37	Long-billed Curlew	Numenius americanus	Sandpipers and Allies	81	Jun (rising)
38	Red-naped Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus nuchalis	Woodpeckers	81	May (peak)
39	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	80	Jun (rising)
40	American Avocet	Recurvirostra americana	Stilts and Avocets	79	May (peak)
41	Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	New World Sparrows	79	May (peak)
42	Dusky Grouse	Dendragapus obscurus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	78	Aug (rising)
43	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	78	Jul (rising)
44	Lark Sparrow	Chondestes grammacus	New World Sparrows	77	May (peak)
45	Bullock's Oriole	Icterus bullockii	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	75	May (peak)
46	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	74	May (peak)
47	Black-headed Grosbeak	Pheucticus melanocephalus	Cardinals and Allies	74	Jun (rising)
48	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	74	May (peak)
49	Cassin's Finch	Haemorhous cassinii	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	73	May (peak)
50	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	72	May (peak)

Birds Seen in Montana in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Montana in May