Birds in New York in May: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in New York in May in our iNaturalist sample; 19 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 Robin5,106 obs.

Gray Catbird3,208 obs.

Canada Goose3,180 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird2,660 obs.

House Sparrow2,365 obs.

Baltimore Oriole2,337 obs.

Mallard2,098 obs.

European Starling2,012 obs.

Northern Cardinal1,928 obs.

Mourning Dove1,714 obs.

Common Grackle1,579 obs.

Northern Yellow Warbler1,497 obs.

All birds seen in New York in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	5,106	Apr (past peak)
2	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	3,208	May (peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	3,180	Apr (past peak)
4	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,660	Apr (past peak)
5	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	2,365	Apr (past peak)
6	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,337	May (peak)
7	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,098	Apr (past peak)
8	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	2,012	Apr (past peak)
9	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,928	Apr (past peak)
10	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	1,714	Apr (past peak)
11	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,579	Apr (past peak)
12	Northern Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	New World Warblers	1,497	May (peak)
13	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	1,418	May (peak)
14	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	1,288	Apr (past peak)
15	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	1,262	May (peak)
16	Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	Cardinals and Allies	1,216	May (peak)
17	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	1,175	May (peak)
18	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	1,149	May (peak)
19	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	1,077	May (peak)
20	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	1,043	May (peak)
21	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	1,042	Apr (past peak)
22	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	998	Jun (rising)
23	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	908	Apr (past peak)
24	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	901	Apr (past peak)
25	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	863	Aug (rising)
26	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	848	Apr (past peak)
27	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	839	Apr (past peak)
28	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	837	Mar (past peak)
29	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	809	Sep (rising)
30	Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	New World Warblers	746	May (peak)
31	Black-throated Blue Warbler	Setophaga caerulescens	New World Warblers	731	May (peak)
32	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	727	Apr (past peak)
33	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	719	Oct (rising)
34	Wood Thrush	Hylocichla mustelina	Thrushes	701	May (peak)
35	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	700	May (peak)
36	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	670	May (peak)
37	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	662	Apr (past peak)
38	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	657	Apr (past peak)
39	Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	New World Warblers	655	Sep (rising)
40	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	634	Apr (past peak)
41	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	621	Apr (past peak)
42	Veery	Catharus fuscescens	Thrushes	597	May (peak)
43	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	591	Apr (past peak)
44	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	561	Jun (rising)
45	Blackpoll Warbler	Setophaga striata	New World Warblers	558	May (peak)
46	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	556	Aug (rising)
47	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	555	Apr (past peak)
48	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	553	May (peak)
49	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	550	Jun (rising)
50	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	550	May (peak)

Birds Seen in New York in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in New York in May