Birds in Rhode Island in May: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Rhode Island in May in our iNaturalist sample; 25 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 Robin303 obs.

Gray Catbird293 obs.

Northern Yellow Warbler221 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird196 obs.

Baltimore Oriole160 obs.

Song Sparrow157 obs.

Canada Goose155 obs.

House Sparrow150 obs.

Mallard144 obs.

Common Grackle137 obs.

Northern Cardinal124 obs.

Eastern Towhee114 obs.

All birds seen in Rhode Island in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	303	Apr (past peak)
2	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	293	May (peak)
3	Northern Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	New World Warblers	221	May (peak)
4	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	196	May (peak)
5	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	160	May (peak)
6	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	157	May (peak)
7	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	155	Apr (past peak)
8	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	150	May (peak)
9	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	144	Apr (past peak)
10	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	137	May (peak)
11	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	124	Apr (past peak)
12	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	114	May (peak)
13	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	111	Apr (past peak)
14	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	107	Jun (rising)
15	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	102	Jun (rising)
16	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	93	Apr (past peak)
17	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	93	Aug (rising)
18	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	90	Apr (past peak)
19	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	90	Aug (rising)
20	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	87	May (peak)
21	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	86	Jun (rising)
22	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	85	Apr (past peak)
23	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	83	May (peak)
24	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	81	Apr (past peak)
25	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	81	Aug (rising)
26	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	80	May (peak)
27	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	70	May (peak)
28	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	68	May (peak)
29	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	67	May (peak)
30	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	67	May (peak)
31	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	63	Aug (rising)
32	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	61	Apr (past peak)
33	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	60	Apr (past peak)
34	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	59	May (peak)
35	Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	Cardinals and Allies	52	May (peak)
36	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	52	May (peak)
37	Blue-winged Warbler	Vermivora cyanoptera	New World Warblers	51	May (peak)
38	Brant	Branta bernicla	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	50	Apr (past peak)
39	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	49	May (peak)
40	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	48	Apr (past peak)
41	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	47	May (peak)
42	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	46	May (peak)
43	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	46	May (peak)
44	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	46	Oct (rising)
45	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	45	May (peak)
46	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	45	May (peak)
47	Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	42	Jan (past peak)
48	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	41	Jul (rising)
49	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	40	Apr (past peak)
50	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	39	Jul (rising)

Birds Seen in Rhode Island in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Rhode Island in May