Birds to See in New Zealand in May
56 bird species on our list for New Zealand are recorded regularly in May
Of these, the most often recorded are Blackbird, House Sparrow, Common Starling, Chaffinch and Song Thrush. New this month: Rose-ringed Parakeet, Swan Goose, Golden Pheasant and Wood Duck and 1 more.
On the move in May
GBIF · MayArriving
From New Zealand’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 56 birds in May
56 birds
BlackbirdTurdus merulaResidentCommon24–25 cmRecorded all year · 5.49% in May
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 4.80% in May
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 4.12% in May
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsResidentCommon14–16 cmRecorded all year · 3.16% in May
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosResidentCommon20–23 cmRecorded all year · 3.06% in May
European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelisResidentCommon12–13 cmRecorded all year · 2.72% in May
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.42% in May
Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicenResidentCommon37–43 cmRecorded all year · 2.32% in May
DunnockPrunella modularisResidentCommon14–15 cmRecorded all year · 1.77% in May
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 1.25% in May
GreenfinchChloris chlorisResidentCommon15–16 cmRecorded all year · 1.20% in May
Black SwanCygnus atratusResidentCommon110–142 cmRecorded all year · 1.18% in May
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisResidentCommon16–18 cmRecorded all year · 1.11% in May
YellowhammerEmberiza citrinellaResidentCommon16–17 cmRecorded all year · 1.01% in May
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 0.68% in May
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaResidentCommon12–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.67% in May
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 0.65% in May
CootFulica atraResidentUncommon36–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.36% in May
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.30% in May
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.26% in May
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentUncommon75–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.21% in May
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentUncommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in May
Little PenguinEudyptula minorResidentUncommon30–40 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in May
Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaSummer visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.09% in May
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentUncommon91–122 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in May
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentUncommon140–160 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in May
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatusResidentUncommon46–51 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in May
Little OwlAthene noctuaResidentUncommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in May
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentUncommon66–84 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in May
Southern Royal AlbatrossDiomedea epomophoraSummer visitorUncommon115–123 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in May
Indian PeafowlPavo cristatusResidentUncommon86–230 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in May
Red JunglefowlGallus gallusResidentRare42–75 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in May
White-chinned PetrelProcellaria aequinoctialisSummer visitorUncommon50–58 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.04% in May
Red KnotCalidris canutusSummer visitorUncommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentRare55–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlusResidentRare15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
YellowheadMohoua ochrocephalaSummer visitorUncommon15–16 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorRare44–51 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 0.02% in May
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisResidentRare53–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusSummer visitorUncommon41–46 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.01% in May
RookCorvus frugilegusWinter visitorRare45–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorRare21–25 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.01% in May
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.01% in May
Laughing KookaburraDacelo novaeguineaeResidentRare41–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorRare40–46 cmRecorded all year · 0.00% in May
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaSummer visitorRare40–44 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · 0.00% in May
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaSummer visitorRare18–23 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.00% in May
EmuDromaius novaehollandiaeSummer visitorRare150–190 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.00% in May
ChukarAlectoris chukarSummer visitorRare32–38 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.00% in May
Golden PheasantChrysolophus pictusPassage migrantRare90–105 cmRegularly May–Nov · 0.00% in May
Swan GooseAnser cygnoidesWinter visitorRare81–94 cmRegularly May–Oct · 0.00% in May
Rainbow LorikeetTrichoglossus moluccanusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 0.00% in May
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriSummer visitorRare38–42 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.00% in May
Wood DuckAix sponsaPassage migrantRare47–54 cmRegularly May–Jan · 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