WhenToBird

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos · Pelecanidae

When Do American White Pelicans Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult American White Pelican
Photo: Craig K, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American White Pelicans are winter birds in Louisiana: the first arrive in late September, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of January (9.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals late September; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 9.5% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 9.7% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.6% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.3% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.5% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.7% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.1% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.9% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.0% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.4% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.6% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.0% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.0% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.4% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.8% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.8% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.5% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.9% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.0% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.5% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.6% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.6% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.1% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.3% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.5% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.8% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.8% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.2% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.1% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.5% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.1% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.8% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.3% of 9940 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Louisiana that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Louisiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Richland ParishBest early January · 29 checklists that week, 835 in all52%
  2. Sabine ParishBest late December · 11 checklists that week, 541 in all44%
  3. St. Charles ParishBest mid March · 21 checklists that week, 969 in all42%
  4. Bossier ParishBest late November · 55 checklists that week, 3,463 in all39%
  5. Pointe Coupee ParishBest late September · 10 checklists that week, 593 in all36%
  6. Plaquemines ParishBest the second week of November · 172 checklists that week, 3,374 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Capitol LakeEast Baton Rouge Parish, best mid November · 50 checklists that week, 1,223 in all92%
  2. Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge (Bayou Cochon)St. Tammany Parish, best late January · 48 checklists that week, 1,384 in all72%
  3. SellersSt. Charles Parish, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 411 in all69%
  4. Burbank Soccer ComplexEast Baton Rouge Parish, best mid February · 32 checklists that week, 304 in all68%
  5. City-Brooks Community ParkEast Baton Rouge Parish, best mid November · 92 checklists that week, 1,603 in all62%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the American White Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (6.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (110) to judge1 am: too few checklists (95) to judge2 am: too few checklists (78) to judge3 am: too few checklists (145) to judge4 am: too few checklists (266) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2981) to judge6 am: 2.3% of 21115 checklists7 am: 3.8% of 38843 checklists8 am: 4.3% of 36306 checklists9 am: 5.0% of 31934 checklists10 am: 6.1% of 27208 checklists11 am: 6.6% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 6.0% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 6.0% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 5.5% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 4.6% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 1.2% of 8080 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3798) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (676) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (311) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (206) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (93) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January9.7%9.6%9.3%9.5%
February8.7%7.1%6.9%8.0%
March7.4%5.6%4.0%3.0%
April2.4%1.8%1.6%1.8%
May1.5%1.3%0.8%0.9%
June1.0%0.7%0.5%0.7%
July0.5%0.6%0.7%0.6%
August0.6%0.6%0.4%0.5%
September0.5%0.6%0.7%1.5%
October2.7%4.1%4.3%5.5%
November6.8%8.8%9.2%9.1%
December9.5%9.1%8.8%8.3%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives mid June, 13 weeks earlier than Louisiana
  • Alabama: arrives late September, in the same week than Louisiana
  • Texas: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Louisiana
  • Arkansas: arrives mid July, 9 weeks earlier than Louisiana

Common questions

When do American White Pelicans arrive in Louisiana?
American White Pelicans are winter birds in Louisiana: the first arrive in late September, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of January (9.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do American White Pelicans leave Louisiana?
Most American White Pelicans have left Louisiana by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a American White Pelican in Louisiana?
The American White Pelican is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 9.5% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are American White Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Richland Parish, Sabine Parish, and St. Charles Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the American White Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).