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

60 birds were recorded seen in Virginia in May in our iNaturalist sample; 14 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

Northern Cardinal2,041 obs.

American Robin1,781 obs.

Canada Goose1,699 obs.

Gray Catbird1,533 obs.

Great Blue Heron1,431 obs.

Eastern Bluebird1,401 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird1,268 obs.

Mallard1,132 obs.

Northern Mockingbird969 obs.

Indigo Bunting905 obs.

Carolina Wren898 obs.

House Sparrow894 obs.

All birds seen in Virginia in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	2,041	Apr (past peak)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	1,781	Apr (past peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,699	Apr (past peak)
4	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	1,533	May (peak)
5	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,431	Apr (past peak)
6	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	1,401	Apr (past peak)
7	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,268	Apr (past peak)
8	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,132	Apr (past peak)
9	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	969	Apr (past peak)
10	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	905	May (peak)
11	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	898	Apr (past peak)
12	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	894	Apr (past peak)
13	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	856	Apr (past peak)
14	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	848	Apr (past peak)
15	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	842	Apr (past peak)
16	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	834	Apr (past peak)
17	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	803	Apr (past peak)
18	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	774	Apr (past peak)
19	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	712	Apr (past peak)
20	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	703	Apr (past peak)
21	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	699	May (peak)
22	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	665	Aug (rising)
23	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	630	May (peak)
24	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	629	Apr (past peak)
25	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	624	Apr (past peak)
26	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	613	Apr (past peak)
27	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	603	Apr (past peak)
28	Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	Cardinals and Allies	597	May (peak)
29	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	594	Apr (past peak)
30	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	591	Jan (past peak)
31	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	580	Apr (past peak)
32	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	569	Apr (past peak)
33	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	560	May (peak)
34	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	559	Mar (past peak)
35	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	557	May (peak)
36	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	553	May (peak)
37	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	540	Apr (past peak)
38	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	529	May (peak)
39	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	514	Apr (past peak)
40	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	509	Jan (past peak)
41	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	498	May (peak)
42	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	496	Apr (past peak)
43	Orchard Oriole	Icterus spurius	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	485	May (peak)
44	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	470	Apr (past peak)
45	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	Sandpipers and Allies	453	May (peak)
46	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	448	Apr (past peak)
47	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	435	Apr (past peak)
48	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	424	May (peak)
49	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	424	May (peak)
50	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	424	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Virginia in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Virginia in May