Birds to See in South Australia in May
51 bird species on our list for South Australia are recorded regularly in May
Of these, the most often recorded are Australian Magpie, Red Wattlebird, Galah, Willie Wagtail and New Holland Honeyeater. New this month: Sooty Shearwater, Arctic Jaeger, Australian Bustard and Black-tailed Godwit and 2 more.
On the move in May
GBIF · MayArriving
From South Australia’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 51 birds in May
51 birds
Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicenResidentCommon37–43 cmRecorded all year · 3.64% in May
Red WattlebirdAnthochaera carunculataResidentCommon33–37 cmRecorded all year · 2.51% in May
GalahEolophus roseicapillaResidentCommon35–38 cmRecorded all year · 2.36% in May
Willie WagtailRhipidura leucophrysResidentCommon19–22 cmRecorded all year · 2.29% in May
New Holland HoneyeaterPhylidonyris novaehollandiaeResidentCommon16–20 cmRecorded all year · 2.19% in May
Rainbow LorikeetTrichoglossus moluccanusResidentCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 1.64% in May
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 1.45% in May
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 1.17% in May
BlackbirdTurdus merulaResidentCommon24–25 cmRecorded all year · 1.04% in May
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 0.97% in May
Australian RavenCorvus coronoidesResidentCommon46–53 cmRecorded all year · 0.92% in May
CootFulica atraResidentCommon36–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.83% in May
Black SwanCygnus atratusResidentCommon110–142 cmRecorded all year · 0.69% in May
Laughing KookaburraDacelo novaeguineaeResidentCommon41–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.62% in May
Whistling KiteHaliastur sphenurusResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year · 0.58% in May
Mulga ParrotPsephotellus variusResidentUncommon27–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.46% in May
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.41% in May
Red-browed FinchNeochmia temporalisResidentUncommon11–12 cmRecorded all year · 0.35% in May
EmuDromaius novaehollandiaeResidentUncommon150–190 cmRecorded all year · 0.35% in May
Little WattlebirdAnthochaera chrysopteraResidentUncommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 0.33% in May
Purple-crowned LorikeetGlossopsitta porphyrocephalaResidentUncommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.22% in May
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 0.19% in May
European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelisResidentUncommon12–13 cmRecorded all year · 0.17% in May
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentUncommon55–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in May
Australian HobbyFalco longipennisResidentUncommon30–35 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in May
ApostlebirdStruthidea cinereaResidentUncommon29–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.13% in May
RedthroatPyrrholaemus brunneusResidentUncommon12–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.13% in May
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisResidentUncommon16–18 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.12% in May
BudgerigarMelopsittacus undulatusResidentUncommon18–20 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in May
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentUncommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.10% in May
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusResidentUncommon34–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in May
OspreyPandion haliaetusResidentUncommon54–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in May
Eastern Yellow RobinEopsaltria australisResidentUncommon15–16 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in May
GreenshankTringa nebulariaSummer visitorUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.05% in May
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaSummer visitorUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatusResidentUncommon46–51 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaPassage migrantRare40–51 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.03% in May
CockatielNymphicus hollandicusResidentUncommon30–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaResidentRare40–44 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.02% in May
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaSummer visitorUncommon18–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentRare66–84 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
Southern Royal AlbatrossDiomedea epomophoraResidentRare115–123 cmRegularly Nov–May · 0.02% in May
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
BrolgaAntigone rubicundaResidentUncommon100–140 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusPassage migrantRare41–46 cmRegularly Dec–May · 0.01% in May
Australian BustardArdeotis australisWinter visitorRare100–140 cmRegularly May–Mar · 0.01% in May
GreenfinchChloris chlorisSummer visitorUncommon15–16 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Little PenguinEudyptula minorSummer visitorRare30–40 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 0.01% in May
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoSummer visitorRare100–125 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.01% in May
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriResidentRare38–42 cmRegularly May–Aug · 0.00% in May
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorRare21–25 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.00% in May
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made