Skip to main content
Ask FWC
About
Contact
News
Calendar
Get Involved
Sign Up
Home
The Commission
The Commissioners
Commission Meetings
Meeting Protocol
Strategic Plan
Overview: Fast Facts
Programs of the FWC
Long Range Program Plan
Economics
Rules & Regulations
Rule Changes
Contact FWC Staff
Customer Service
Commissioners
Senior Staff
Divisions/Offices
Regional Offices
Praise an Employee
Report Misconduct
Webmaster
Contact FWC Law Enforcement
Wildlife Alert
Contact Recruiter
Report Violators - Wildlife Alert
Nuisance Wildlife
Rule Change Comments
Tell Us What You Think
Public Records
Request Publications
FWC Participation at Your Event
News Releases
Monthly Columns
Media Contacts
Social Media
Media Resources
FWC Logos
Get News by Email
News Feeds
Volunteer
Internships
Employment
Support FWC
Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission
Fishing
Boating
Hunting
Licenses & Permits
Wildlife Viewing
Wildlife & Habitats
Research
Education
Conservation
Freshwater
Regulations
Fish Identification
Sites & Forecasts
Commercial Freshwater
Saltwater
News
Recreational
Commercial
Public Comments/Workshops
Angler Recognition
Fish Identification
Persons with Disabilities
Outfitters & Guides
Regulations
Safety & Education
Boating Courses
ID Card
Accidents
Safety Equipment
Waterway Management
Derelict Vessels
Boat Ramps & Access
Grants
Regulations
New Hunter
WMA Brochures
Limited Entry Hunts
Season Dates
Safety & Education
Persons with Disabilities
Outfitters & Guides
By Species
Alligator
Bear
Burmese Python
Deer
Dove
Furbearers
Hogs
Quail
Gray Squirrel/Rabbit
Turkey
Waterfowl
License and Permit Information Search
Hunting & Fishing Licenses
Do I need one?
Apply Online
Limited Entry/Quota Hunts
Public Land Use /Camping
Commercial Saltwater Products
Persons with Disabilities
Captive Wildlife
Wildlife
Freshwater Fish, Eels & Frogs
Saltwater Species
Aquatic Plants
Boating & Navigation
How to View Wildlife
Where to View Wildlife
Species Spotlights
Get Involved
Business and Tourism
Outfitters & Guides
Recreation on Wild Lands
What are WMAs?
Explore Map
Get Outdoors Florida!
Species Profiles
Managed Species
Alligator
Bald Eagle
Bear
Gopher Tortoise
Manatee
Panther
Sea Turtles
Waterfowl
Imperiled Species
Nonnative Species
Invasive Plants
Captive Wildlife
Conditional/Prohibited Species
Living with Wildlife
Habitat Information
Artificial Reefs
Coral Reefs
Seagrasses
Scrub
Wetlands
Management Plans
Private Lands Partnerships
Wildlife Assistance
Prescribed Fire
Aquatic Habitat
Florida Manatee
Freshwater
GIS and Mapping
Habitat
Red Tide
Saltwater
Wildlife
Publications
Adults & Families
Youth & Student
Educators
Outdoor Skills
Hunting
Boating
Fishing
Outdoors-Woman
Learn About Wildlife
Unhook Seabirds
Value of Conservation
How You Can Conserve
Freshwater Programs
Saltwater Programs
Terrestrial Programs
Special Initiatives
Coastal Wildlife
Florida Bird Conservation Initiative
Private Lands Partnerships
Wildlife 2060
Wildlife Legacy Initiative
Home
:
Wildlife Viewing
:
How to view wildlife
:
Wildlife Through the Year
:
Wildlife Through the Year: May
How to view wildlife
Bird watching basics
Bird Disturbance
Butterfly Viewing
Viewing Ethics
Learn to Detect Animal Sign
Before You Go
Wildlife Through the Year
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
What to Take
When You Arrive
Getting Help
Learn about Wildlife
Where to Go
Explore Around the Bend
Trip Planning
Species Spotlights
Habitat
Get Involved
Business and Tourism
Wildlife Management Areas
Florida Nature Trackers
Paddling Trails
Additional Resources
Publications
Outfitters & Guides
Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail
Get Outdoors Florida
Tropic birds arrive in Dry Tortugas.
Bald eagles
begin migrating north.
Red-cockaded woodpeckers
are breeding.
Flathead catfish
congregate below Jim Woodruff Dam, Apalachicola River.
Courtship ritual of adult
alligators
begins, noted by the loud and resounding bellows and water slapping. Continues through June.
Peak flight period for Schaus' swallowtail
butterfly
in Keys.
The last of the cedar waxwings and goldfinches head for their northern breeding grounds.
Painted buntings
nest through summer in northeast Florida.
White swamp lilies dot wet prairies and sloughs in the Everglades.
Least terns
nest on beaches, sandy flats, and flat gravel rooftops that look like beaches!
Celebrate
International Migratory Bird Day
.
Brown pelican
and white ibis young are now visible in nests.
White-crowned pigeons begin nesting on mangrove islands in Florida Bay.
Breeding begins for many resident and summer songbirds.
Bluegill
are bedding at the full moon.
Redbreast sunfish
and
spotted sunfish
begin spawning in rivers.
Pompano
are running in the north Florida surf.
Green sea turtles
will begin nesting more abundantly now through September.
Lights Out!
Sea turtles
emerge from their nests and head for the ocean. Females may become confused by lights on the beach.
Peak of
coyote
denning season.
Most
bats
give birth May through mid-June.
American lotus in bloom on wetlands.
Alligator snapping turtles nesting this month.
FWC Facts:
A woodpecker can peck 20 times a second.
Learn More at AskFWC