Birds to See in Galway in May
123 species listed for May · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
123 bird species on our list for Galway are recorded regularly in May. Of these, the most often recorded are Blackbird, Barn Swallow, Hooded Crow, European Herring Gull and European Robin. New this month: Common Swift, European Storm-petrel, Spotted Flycatcher and Common Kingfisher and 4 more.
New in May8
Residents
(71)Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Recorded all year
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Recorded all year
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
Magpie
Pica picaLC
Recorded all year
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Recorded all year
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Recorded all year
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Recorded all year
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
Recorded all year
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Recorded all year
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Recorded all year
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
Recorded all year
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Recorded all year
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
Recorded all year
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Recorded all year
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Recorded all year
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Recorded all year
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocoraxLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Recorded all year
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Recorded all year
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
Recorded all year
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Recorded all year
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
Recorded all year
Mediterranean Gull
Ichthyaetus melanocephalusLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutusLC
Regularly Jan–Oct
Red Grouse
Lagopus scoticaLC
Regularly Apr–May
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Regularly May–Feb
Summer visitors
(28)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Recorded all year
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Feb–Oct
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Mar–Sep
Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenusLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensisLC
Recorded all year
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Recorded all year
Common Swift
Apus apusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Manx Shearwater
Puffinus puffinusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Recorded all year
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaeaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Grasshopper Warbler
Locustella naeviaLC
Regularly Apr–Jul
Little Tern
Sternula albifronsLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataLC
Regularly May–Oct
European Storm-petrel
Hydrobates pelagicusLC
Regularly May–Oct
Great Skua
Stercorarius skuaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Arctic Jaeger
Stercorarius parasiticusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arcticaVU
Regularly Apr–Aug
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Winter visitors
(18)Present outside the breeding season
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Recorded all year
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Regularly Jul–May
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Recorded all year
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Jul–May
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Recorded all year
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
Regularly Aug–Jun
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
Regularly Nov–Jul
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Recorded all year
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Recorded all year
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
Regularly Nov–May
Passage migrants
(6)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
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