Birds to See in Saudi Arabia in May
99 species listed for May · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
99 bird species on our list for Saudi Arabia are recorded regularly in May. Of these, the most often recorded are House Sparrow, Rock Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Hoopoe and Red-backed Shrike. New this month: Corncrake, Helmeted Guineafowl, Nightjar and Meadow Pipit and 1 more.
Leaving after last month23
- Pied Wagtail
- Water Pipit
- Buzzard
- Short-toed Lark
- Sparrowhawk
- Garganey
- Common Kingfisher
- Montagu's Harrier
- Blue Rock-thrush
- Booted Eagle
- European Honey-buzzard
- Spotted Redshank
- Water Rail
- Hooded Wheatear
- Griffon Vulture
- Pochard
- Common Quail
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Greylag Goose
- Moustached Warbler
- Swan Goose
- Savi's Warbler
- Eurasian Scops-owl
Residents
(34)Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Hoopoe
Upupa epopsLC
Recorded all year
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Recorded all year
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinusLC
Recorded all year
Squacco Heron
Ardeola ralloidesLC
Recorded all year
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Recorded all year
Cattle Egret
Ardea ibisLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Pallid Swift
Apus pallidusLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Common Reed-warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceusLC
Recorded all year
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticoraxLC
Recorded all year
Great Grey Shrike
Lanius excubitorLC
Recorded all year
Purple Heron
Ardea purpureaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodiaLC
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Osprey
Pandion haliaetusLC
Recorded all year
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellusLC
Recorded all year
Little Bittern
Ixobrychus minutusLC
Recorded all year
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterusLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon niloticaLC
Recorded all year
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Recorded all year
Little Ringed Plover
Thinornis dubiusLC
Recorded all year
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Greater Flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseusLC
Recorded all year
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Recorded all year
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(5)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Winter visitors
(32)Present outside the breeding season
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flavaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Psittacula krameriLC
Recorded all year
Little Stint
Calidris minutaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Jul–May
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareolaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca currucaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Regularly Aug–May
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
Regularly Aug–May
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Aug–Jun
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Aug–May
Desert Finch
Rhodospiza obsoletaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Oriental Honey-buzzard
Pernis ptilorhynchusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Crag Martin
Ptyonoprogne rupestrisLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Avocet
Recurvirostra avosettaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckiiLC
Regularly Aug–May
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly Jul–May
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Sep–May
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochrurosLC
Regularly Oct–May
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Sep–May
Passage migrants
(28)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Red-backed Shrike
Lanius collurioLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
European Bee-eater
Merops apiasterLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetraLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Golden Oriole
Oriolus oriolusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Woodchat Shrike
Lanius senatorNT
Regularly Feb–Oct
Garden Warbler
Sylvia borinLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Corncrake
Crex crexLC
Regularly May–Oct
Marsh Warbler
Acrocephalus palustrisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialisLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Nightjar
Caprimulgus europaeusLC
Regularly May–Oct
Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchosLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Corn Bunting
Emberiza calandraLC
Regularly Oct–May
European Turtle-dove
Streptopelia turturVU
Regularly Apr–Oct
Wryneck
Jynx torquillaLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Helmeted Guineafowl
Numida meleagrisLC
Regularly Feb–Aug
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly Feb–Oct
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly May–Dec
Bonelli's Eagle
Aquila fasciataLC
Regularly Oct–May
Hobby
Falco subbuteoLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Rufous-tailed Rock-thrush
Monticola saxatilisLC
Regularly Oct–May
Spotted Crake
Porzana porzanaLC
Regularly May
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
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