Ash-throated Flycatcher in May
Where ash-throated flycatchers are in May, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
May in the Ash-throated Flycatcher's year
May is the peak of the birding year. Migration floods the North, dawn chorus is at its loudest, and nesting is underway across most of the continent. By month's end the first broods of the year are hatching in mid-latitudes.
For the Ash-throated Flycatcher specifically, May is a spring month inside the nesting season — one of the most active and demanding periods of this bird's year. Across the 13 states and provinces where ash-throated flycatchers occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.
Where ash-throated flycatchers are in May
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- summer breeder
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In May, ash-throated flycatchers are absent in the South, summer breeder across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.
Nesting in May
May is inside the Ash-throated Flycatcher nesting season. Nest: cavity, nest box or hollow pipe lined with hair and fur. Clutch 2–7 eggs, incubation 15 days, 1–2 per season.
The season is broadly synchronized across the range this month. During the nesting months, adults switch to protein-rich foods for their young, become more secretive around the nest site, and often visit feeders in quick, purposeful trips rather than lingering.
What to feed in May
- Grasshoppers, wasps, caterpillars and spiders
Uses nest boxes, pipes and even mailboxes across the dry West; rarely needs to drink.
Adults feeding nestlings need easy calories. Some species that ignored feeders all winter now visit regularly, and you may see fledglings brought to feeders by their parents.
Full Ash-throated Flycatcher diet guide → · Best feeder for ash-throated flycatchers →
Watching ash-throated flycatchers this month
In May, the best watching is around food rather than the nest — adults make repeated foraging trips and are most visible at dawn and dusk. Give nesting birds space: if a bird is carrying food or scolding you persistently, you're close to a nest and should back off.
If you have a Ash-throated Flycatcher box up, watch from a distance for comings and goings — steady traffic means an active nest — the box guide below has the exact hole size and mounting height this species needs.
Ash-throated Flycatcher month by month
Ash-throated Flycatcher by state
Frequently asked
Where are ash-throated flycatchers in May?
In May, ash-throated flycatchers are absent in the South, summer breeder across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do ash-throated flycatchers nest in May?
Yes — May falls inside the Ash-throated Flycatcher nesting season at mid-latitudes.
What do ash-throated flycatchers eat in May?
Grasshoppers, wasps, caterpillars and spiders.
Sources
- Ash-throated Flycatcher — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Ash-throated Flycatcher life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Ash-throated Flycatcher — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- NestWatch nest box plans and species requirements — Cornell Lab
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.