Birds to See in Belfast in May
70 species listed for May · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
70 bird species on our list for Belfast are recorded regularly in May. Of these, the most often recorded are Woodpigeon, Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Magpie and Hooded Crow. New this month: Common Swift, Long-tailed Tit, Arctic Tern and Sandwich Tern and 7 more.
New in May11
Residents
(39)Recorded all year
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Magpie
Pica picaLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Regularly Nov–Sep
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Regularly May–Mar
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Recorded all year
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Regularly Jan–Jun
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Regularly May–Jan
Summer visitors
(24)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Recorded all year
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Common Swift
Apus apusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Nov–Jul
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly May–Jul
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Mediterranean Gull
Ichthyaetus melanocephalusLC
Regularly Mar–Aug
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Jul
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
Regularly Dec–Jul
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaeaLC
Regularly May–Sep
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly May–Aug
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Regularly Dec–Sep
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensisLC
Regularly May–Sep
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Regularly Oct–Jul
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Winter visitors
(4)Present outside the breeding season
Passage migrants
(3)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