Birds in South Dakota in May: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in South Dakota in May in our iNaturalist sample; 31 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

Red-winged Blackbird248 obs.

American Robin213 obs.

Northern Yellow Warbler197 obs.

Canada Goose190 obs.

Baltimore Oriole172 obs.

Western Meadowlark167 obs.

Common Grackle166 obs.

Blue-winged Teal144 obs.

Eastern Kingbird133 obs.

Mallard127 obs.

Wild Turkey125 obs.

Yellow-headed Blackbird116 obs.

All birds seen in South Dakota in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	248	May (peak)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	213	Jun (rising)
3	Northern Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	New World Warblers	197	May (peak)
4	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	190	Apr (past peak)
5	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	172	May (peak)
6	Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	167	Jul (rising)
7	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	166	May (peak)
8	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	144	Apr (past peak)
9	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	133	May (peak)
10	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	127	May (peak)
11	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	125	May (peak)
12	Yellow-headed Blackbird	Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	116	May (peak)
13	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	110	Jul (rising)
14	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	105	Apr (past peak)
15	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	104	May (peak)
16	Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	Thrushes	102	Jul (rising)
17	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	100	May (peak)
18	Orchard Oriole	Icterus spurius	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	99	May (peak)
19	Wilson's Phalarope	Phalaropus tricolor	Sandpipers and Allies	99	May (peak)
20	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	97	May (peak)
21	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	96	May (peak)
22	Upland Sandpiper	Bartramia longicauda	Sandpipers and Allies	95	Jun (rising)
23	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	95	Jun (rising)
24	Western Kingbird	Tyrannus verticalis	Tyrant Flycatchers	94	Jul (rising)
25	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	90	May (peak)
26	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	90	May (peak)
27	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	88	May (peak)
28	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	88	May (peak)
29	Lark Sparrow	Chondestes grammacus	New World Sparrows	87	May (peak)
30	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	85	Jul (rising)
31	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	84	Apr (past peak)
32	Clay-colored Sparrow	Spizella pallida	New World Sparrows	84	May (peak)
33	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	83	Apr (past peak)
34	Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	New World Sparrows	81	Jun (rising)
35	Western Grebe	Aechmophorus occidentalis	Grebes	80	May (peak)
36	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	79	May (peak)
37	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	74	May (peak)
38	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	73	May (peak)
39	Cliff Swallow	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota	Swallows and Martins	67	Jul (rising)
40	Burrowing Owl	Athene cunicularia	Typical Owls	67	Jul (rising)
41	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	66	Aug (rising)
42	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	65	Jun (rising)
43	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	64	May (peak)
44	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	Sandpipers and Allies	64	May (peak)
45	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	63	May (peak)
46	Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	Thrushes	62	May (peak)
47	Forster's Tern	Sterna forsteri	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	61	May (peak)
48	American Avocet	Recurvirostra americana	Stilts and Avocets	60	May (peak)
49	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	59	May (peak)
50	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	58	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in South Dakota in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in South Dakota in May