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

60 birds were recorded seen in Wisconsin in May in our iNaturalist sample; 34 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 Blackbird1,861 obs.

American Robin1,814 obs.

Baltimore Oriole1,568 obs.

Canada Goose1,533 obs.

Mallard1,284 obs.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak1,193 obs.

Gray Catbird909 obs.

Sandhill Crane896 obs.

Tree Swallow809 obs.

Wild Turkey792 obs.

Northern Yellow Warbler788 obs.

American Goldfinch772 obs.

All birds seen in Wisconsin in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,861	May (peak)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	1,814	Apr (past peak)
3	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,568	May (peak)
4	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,533	May (peak)
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,284	Apr (past peak)
6	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	1,193	May (peak)
7	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	909	May (peak)
8	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	896	May (peak)
9	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	809	May (peak)
10	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	792	May (peak)
11	Northern Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	New World Warblers	788	May (peak)
12	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	772	May (peak)
13	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	741	Apr (past peak)
14	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	690	May (peak)
15	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	672	May (peak)
16	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	653	Apr (past peak)
17	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	638	May (peak)
18	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	571	May (peak)
19	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	567	May (peak)
20	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	546	May (peak)
21	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	529	May (peak)
22	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	520	May (peak)
23	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	513	Aug (rising)
24	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	512	May (peak)
25	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	502	Apr (past peak)
26	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	490	May (peak)
27	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	479	Apr (past peak)
28	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	468	May (peak)
29	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	455	May (peak)
30	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	453	Apr (past peak)
31	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	443	May (peak)
32	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	438	Aug (rising)
33	Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	Cardinals and Allies	431	May (peak)
34	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	430	May (peak)
35	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	429	May (peak)
36	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	425	May (peak)
37	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	384	May (peak)
38	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	373	May (peak)
39	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	371	Apr (past peak)
40	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	352	Apr (past peak)
41	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	343	Apr (past peak)
42	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	329	May (peak)
43	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	312	Aug (rising)
44	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	300	Sep (rising)
45	Chestnut-sided Warbler	Setophaga pensylvanica	New World Warblers	298	May (peak)
46	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	297	May (peak)
47	Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	New World Warblers	294	May (peak)
48	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	292	Apr (past peak)
49	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	289	Apr (past peak)
50	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	272	May (peak)

Birds Seen in Wisconsin in May

Top birds in May

All birds seen in Wisconsin in May