Birds to See in Egypt in May
79 bird species on our list for Egypt are recorded regularly in May
Of these, the most often recorded are House Sparrow, Barn Swallow, Hooded Crow, Rock Dove and Cattle Egret. New this month: Curlew Sandpiper, Oriental Honey-buzzard, Garden Warbler and Eleonora's Falcon.
On the move in May
GBIF · MayArriving
At their peak
From Egypt’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 79 birds in May
79 birds
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 4.79% in May
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaResidentCommon17–19 cmRecorded all year · 4.20% in May
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixResidentCommon44–51 cmRecorded all year · 3.88% in May
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 3.63% in May
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 2.80% in May
European Bee-eaterMerops apiasterSummer visitorCommon27–29 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 2.38% in May
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentCommon55–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.37% in May
Squacco HeronArdeola ralloidesResidentCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 2.31% in May
HoopoeUpupa epopsResidentCommon25–32 cmRecorded all year · 2.25% in May
KestrelFalco tinnunculusResidentCommon32–39 cmRecorded all year · 1.86% in May
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 1.82% in May
MoorhenGallinula chloropusResidentCommon30–38 cmRecorded all year · 1.74% in May
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentCommon58–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.45% in May
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year · 1.23% in May
Purple HeronArdea purpureaResidentCommon78–90 cmRecorded all year · 1.22% in May
European Turtle-doveStreptopelia turturSummer visitorCommon26–28 cmRecorded all year · 1.13% in May
Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striataPassage migrantCommon14–16 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 1.06% in May
BuzzardButeo buteoWinter visitorCommon51–57 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.96% in May
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaSummer visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Feb–Nov · 0.89% in May
Western Marsh-harrierCircus aeruginosusWinter visitorCommon48–56 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 0.83% in May
Senegal Thick-kneeBurhinus senegalensisResidentCommon38–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.82% in May
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusResidentCommon48–66 cmRecorded all year · 0.80% in May
European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorusPassage migrantCommon52–60 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 0.77% in May
House MartinDelichon urbicumPassage migrantCommon13–15 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.76% in May
Common Reed-warblerAcrocephalus scirpaceusPassage migrantCommon13–14 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 0.68% in May
Common SwiftApus apusPassage migrantCommon16–17 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 0.68% in May
Yellow WagtailMotacilla flavaWinter visitorCommon15–17 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.62% in May
Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiacaResidentCommon63–73 cmRecorded all year · 0.61% in May
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaWinter visitorCommon19–21 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.55% in May
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaResidentCommon33–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.54% in May
Pallid SwiftApus pallidusResidentCommon16–17 cmRegularly Oct–Aug · 0.53% in May
OspreyPandion haliaetusResidentCommon54–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.51% in May
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollisResidentCommon23–29 cmRecorded all year · 0.47% in May
Booted EagleHieraaetus pennatusPassage migrantCommon42–51 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.46% in May
Little TernSternula albifronsPassage migrantUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Dec · 0.39% in May
Little StintCalidris minutaWinter visitorCommon13–15 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.38% in May
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisusWinter visitorCommon28–38 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.38% in May
Little BitternIxobrychus minutusResidentUncommon33–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.37% in May
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaWinter visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.36% in May
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusWinter visitorUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.36% in May
Egyptian VultureNeophron percnopterusPassage migrantUncommon55–65 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.30% in May
Lesser WhitethroatCurruca currucaWinter visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.30% in May
BlackbirdTurdus merulaWinter visitorUncommon24–25 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.28% in May
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.27% in May
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusWinter visitorCommon38–44 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.26% in May
WhinchatSaxicola rubetraPassage migrantCommon12–14 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.24% in May
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilusPassage migrantCommon11–13 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 0.24% in May
Little OwlAthene noctuaResidentUncommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.23% in May
Tree PipitAnthus trivialisPassage migrantCommon14–16 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 0.23% in May
Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinusResidentCommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.21% in May
RuffCalidris pugnaxWinter visitorCommon20–32 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.21% in May
Great Grey ShrikeLanius excubitorWinter visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 0.20% in May
Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodiaWinter visitorUncommon80–90 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 0.18% in May
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriResidentUncommon38–42 cmRegularly Sep–Jul · 0.18% in May
WheatearOenanthe oenanthePassage migrantCommon15–16 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.18% in May
Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurusPassage migrantCommon13–15 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.17% in May
Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenusPassage migrantCommon12–13 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.17% in May
Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseusWinter visitorUncommon120–145 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.16% in May
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboWinter visitorCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in May
WhitethroatCurruca communisPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 0.15% in May
Common TernSterna hirundoPassage migrantUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Mar–Nov · 0.14% in May
Golden OrioleOriolus oriolusPassage migrantUncommon22–24 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 0.12% in May
Great White EgretArdea albaWinter visitorCommon80–104 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.12% in May
Oriental Honey-buzzardPernis ptilorhynchusPassage migrantUncommon52–68 cmRegularly May · 0.11% in May
Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorPassage migrantUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Mar–Sep · 0.10% in May
GreenshankTringa nebulariaWinter visitorCommon30–35 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.09% in May
Barn OwlTyto albaResidentUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Oct–Aug · 0.08% in May
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisWinter visitorUncommon36–41 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.08% in May
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.08% in May
CootFulica atraWinter visitorCommon36–42 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.07% in May
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaWinter visitorUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.06% in May
Garden WarblerSylvia borinPassage migrantUncommon14–15 cmRegularly May–Oct · 0.06% in May
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.06% in May
Temminck's StintCalidris temminckiiPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.05% in May
AvocetRecurvirostra avosettaWinter visitorUncommon42–45 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.04% in May
Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonoraePassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly May–Oct · 0.04% in May
Hooded WheatearOenanthe monachaWinter visitorUncommon16–18 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.04% in May
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusWinter visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.03% in May
European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleucaPassage migrantUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Apr–May · 0.03% 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