Western Tanager in May
Where western tanagers are in May, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
May in the Western Tanager'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 Western Tanager 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 22 states and provinces where western tanagers occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.
Where western tanagers are in May
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- summer breeder
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In May, western tanagers 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 Western Tanager nesting season — about a month earlier in the South and a month later in the North. Nest: shallow cup far out on a conifer branch. Clutch 3–5 eggs, incubation 13 days, 1 per season.
In the South the season is already underway, while northern birds are still settling territories — a pair in Florida or Texas may be on eggs weeks before a pair in Minnesota or Ontario has even chosen a nest site. 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
- Wasps, beetles, caterpillars and bees
Drops from the treetops to oranges, jelly and birdbaths during spring migration, especially in dry country.
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 Western Tanager diet guide → · Best feeder for western tanagers →
Watching western tanagers 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.
The state guides below show exactly where in your region western tanagers are expected this month and which native plants hold them in a yard.
Western Tanager month by month
Western Tanager by state
Frequently asked
Where are western tanagers in May?
In May, western tanagers are absent in the South, summer breeder across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do western tanagers nest in May?
Yes — May falls inside the Western Tanager nesting season at mid-latitudes.
What do western tanagers eat in May?
Wasps, beetles, caterpillars and bees.
Sources
- Western Tanager — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Western Tanager life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Western Tanager — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
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.