Birds to See in Sri Lanka in May
47 bird species on our list for Sri Lanka are recorded regularly in May
Of these, the most often recorded are Rose-ringed Parakeet, Rock Dove, Little Egret, Indian Peafowl and Great White Egret. New this month: Lesser Noddy and Sooty Shearwater.
On the move in May
GBIF · MayFrom Sri Lanka’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 47 birds in May
47 birds
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriResidentCommon38–42 cmRecorded all year · 2.81% in May
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 1.50% in May
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentCommon55–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.01% in May
Indian PeafowlPavo cristatusResidentCommon86–230 cmRecorded all year · 0.90% in May
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.73% in May
Purple HeronArdea purpureaResidentCommon78–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.72% in May
Scaly-breasted MuniaLonchura punctulataResidentCommon11–12 cmRecorded all year · 0.66% in May
Indian RobinCopsychus fulicatusResidentCommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.64% in May
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year · 0.52% in May
Common KingfisherAlcedo atthisResidentCommon16–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.47% in May
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.38% in May
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentUncommon58–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.25% in May
Orange-breasted Green-pigeonTreron bicinctusResidentUncommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 0.23% in May
Oriental Honey-buzzardPernis ptilorhynchusResidentUncommon52–68 cmRecorded all year · 0.18% in May
Little TernSternula albifronsResidentUncommon21–25 cmRecorded all year · 0.17% in May
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollisResidentUncommon23–29 cmRecorded all year · 0.17% in May
Common TernSterna hirundoResidentUncommon31–35 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in May
MoorhenGallinula chloropusResidentUncommon30–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.13% in May
Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodiaResidentUncommon80–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in May
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentUncommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in May
Black EagleIctinaetus malaiensisResidentUncommon65–80 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in May
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in May
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaWinter visitorUncommon33–42 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.06% in May
Malabar TrogonHarpactes fasciatusResidentUncommon25–31 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in May
Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinusWinter visitorUncommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in May
HoopoeUpupa epopsResidentUncommon25–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in May
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoWinter visitorUncommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in May
Little Ringed PloverThinornis dubiusWinter visitorUncommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in May
Lesser NoddyAnous tenuirostrisPassage migrantRare30–34 cmRegularly May · 0.04% in May
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in May
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusWinter visitorUncommon40–46 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in May
Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudusPassage migrantUncommon48–58 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 0.03% in May
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.03% in May
CootFulica atraResidentRare36–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusResidentUncommon34–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusWinter visitorUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.02% in May
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaWinter visitorUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.02% in May
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusPassage migrantUncommon46–51 cmRegularly Mar–Sep · 0.02% in May
Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melbaResidentUncommon20–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
CurlewNumenius arquataWinter visitorUncommon50–60 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in May
Oriental Scops-owlOtus suniaSummer visitorRare16–20 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in May
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusPassage migrantUncommon41–46 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 0.01% in May
Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusWinter visitorRare40–45 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 0.01% in May
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorRare18–20 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.01% in May
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.01% in May
Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaPassage migrantRare40–51 cmRegularly Mar–May · 0.01% in May
Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseusWinter visitorUncommon120–145 cmRegularly Dec–May · 0.01% 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