Birds to See in Japan in May
132 species listed for May · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
132 bird species on our list for Japan are recorded regularly in May. Of these, the most often recorded are Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Barn Swallow, Carrion Crow, Grey Heron and Rock Dove. New this month: Cuckoo, Common Redpoll, Fulmar and Hobby and 6 more.
New in May10
Residents
(47)Recorded all year
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
Recorded all year
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
Recorded all year
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Recorded all year
Blue Rock-thrush
Monticola solitariusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Recorded all year
Japanese Wagtail
Motacilla grandisLC
Recorded all year
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Osprey
Pandion haliaetusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Willow Tit
Poecile montanusLC
Recorded all year
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
Recorded all year
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticoraxLC
Recorded all year
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Psittacula krameriLC
Recorded all year
Marsh Tit
Poecile palustrisLC
Recorded all year
Red-flanked Bluetail
Tarsiger cyanurusLC
Recorded all year
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulataLC
Recorded all year
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Recorded all year
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinusLC
Recorded all year
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Wryneck
Jynx torquillaLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Recorded all year
Scaly-breasted Munia
Lonchura punctulataLC
Recorded all year
Crested Myna
Acridotheres cristatellusLC
Recorded all year
Long-eared Owl
Asio otusLC
Regularly Nov–Jul
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Eurasian Bittern
Botaurus stellarisLC
Regularly Nov–Jul
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Sep–Jul
Muscovy Duck
Cairina moschataLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(23)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Black-tailed Gull
Larus crassirostrisLC
Recorded all year
Little Ringed Plover
Thinornis dubiusLC
Recorded all year
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Regularly Jan–Oct
Little Tern
Sternula albifronsLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
Regularly May–Jul
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Mar–Oct
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Red-necked Phalarope
Phalaropus lobatusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Sooty Shearwater
Ardenna griseaNT
Regularly Apr–Oct
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Regularly Nov–Sep
Long-tailed Jaeger
Stercorarius longicaudusLC
Regularly Mar–Aug
Roseate Tern
Sterna dougalliiLC
Regularly May–Aug
Pomarine Jaeger
Stercorarius pomarinusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Regularly Feb–Nov
Hobby
Falco subbuteoLC
Regularly May–Oct
Purple Heron
Ardea purpureaLC
Regularly Nov–Sep
Indian Peafowl
Pavo cristatusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Dryobates minorLC
Regularly Oct–Jul
Leach's Storm-petrel
Hydrobates leucorhousVU
Regularly Apr–Nov
Rock Ptarmigan
Lagopus mutaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Oriental Scops-owl
Otus suniaLC
Regularly May–Jul
Winter visitors
(48)Present outside the breeding season
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Recorded all year
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Dusky Thrush
Turdus eunomusLC
Regularly Oct–May
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Recorded all year
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Recorded all year
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Recorded all year
Pacific Golden-Plover
Pluvialis fulvaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
Recorded all year
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
Regularly Oct–May
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Aug–May
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Regularly Oct–May
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Regularly Oct–Jun
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Recorded all year
Yellow-browed Warbler
Phylloscopus inornatusLC
Regularly Oct–May
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Regularly Aug–May
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
Regularly Oct–Jun
Pacific Loon
Gavia pacificaLC
Regularly Oct–Jun
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodiaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Japanese Waxwing
Bombycilla japonicaNT
Regularly Oct–May
Red-necked Grebe
Podiceps grisegenaLC
Regularly Oct–Jul
Swan Goose
Anser cygnoidesEN
Regularly Jul–May
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Arctic Loon
Gavia arcticaLC
Regularly Nov–Jun
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Regularly Jul–May
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Regularly Oct–May
Vega Gull
Larus vegaeLC
Regularly Sep–May
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Regularly Nov–May
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Regularly Nov–May
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifronsLC
Regularly Sep–May
Bohemian Waxwing
Bombycilla garrulusLC
Regularly Oct–May
Avocet
Recurvirostra avosettaLC
Regularly Oct–May
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckiiLC
Regularly Aug–May
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Regularly Oct–May
Brent Goose
Branta berniclaLC
Regularly Oct–May
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Regularly Sep–May
Passage migrants
(14)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Regularly Jan–Oct
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareolaLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Calidris acuminataVU
Regularly Apr–Nov
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Apr–Nov
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
Regularly Apr–Sep
Grey Phalarope
Phalaropus fulicariusLC
Regularly Mar–Aug
Little Stint
Calidris minutaLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Regularly Apr–Nov
Arctic Jaeger
Stercorarius parasiticusLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterusLC
Regularly May–Sep
Common Rosefinch
Carpodacus erythrinusLC
Regularly May
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly May
Hoopoe
Upupa epopsLC
Regularly Feb–Sep
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Regularly May–Aug
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