WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult female Belted Kingfisher
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Belted Kingfishers are winter birds in Louisiana: the first arrive in mid June, they are common by mid August, peak in mid October (21% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 15-21mid June
Common byAug 15-21mid August
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: mid October. First arrivals mid June; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 21% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 15% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 13% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 13% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 13% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 13% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.3% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 10% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.8% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.6% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.7% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.8% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.0% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.0% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.8% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.8% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.7% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.9% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.8% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.9% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.2% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.0% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.1% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.1% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.1% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.3% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 21% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 21% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 20% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 19% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 19% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 16% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 15% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Louisiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. St. Mary ParishBest late October · 73 checklists that week, 2,241 in all50%
  2. Sabine ParishBest the second week of October · 14 checklists that week, 541 in all47%
  3. Iberia ParishBest late October · 30 checklists that week, 1,313 in all46%
  4. Plaquemines ParishBest late October · 110 checklists that week, 3,374 in all45%
  5. Washington ParishBest late December · 21 checklists that week, 975 in all41%
  6. Pointe Coupee ParishBest early November · 17 checklists that week, 593 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge (Bayou Cochon)St. Tammany Parish, best late November · 40 checklists that week, 1,384 in all82%
  2. Irish Bayou LagoonOrleans Parish, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 365 in all70%
  3. New Orleans City Park (Scout Island)Orleans Parish, best late October · 74 checklists that week, 1,216 in all69%
  4. Sabine National Wildlife RefugeCameron Parish, best late October · 59 checklists that week, 800 in all67%
  5. Sam Houston Jones State Park District IICalcasieu Parish, best late October · 26 checklists that week, 558 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 11% of 21115 checklists7 am: 13% of 38843 checklists8 am: 12% of 36306 checklists9 am: 11% of 31934 checklists10 am: 10% of 27208 checklists11 am: 9.7% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 10% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 10% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 11% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 11% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 10% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 6.7% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 4.8% 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
January15%13%13%13%
February13%11%8.3%10%
March9.8%9.6%9.7%7.8%
April7.0%7.0%5.8%2.8%
May1.7%1.0%0.6%1.1%
June0.9%1.1%1.2%1.8%
July2.3%2.9%3.2%3.0%
August5.1%6.1%7.1%8.3%
September11%12%14%18%
October19%21%21%21%
November20%20%19%19%
December17%16%17%15%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives mid September, 12 weeks later than Louisiana
  • Alabama: arrives the second week of September, 11 weeks later than Louisiana
  • Texas: arrives the second week of July, 3 weeks later than Louisiana
  • Arkansas: arrives mid August, 8 weeks later than Louisiana

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Louisiana?
Belted Kingfishers are winter birds in Louisiana: the first arrive in mid June, they are common by mid August, peak in mid October (21% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Louisiana?
Most Belted Kingfishers have left Louisiana by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Louisiana?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in mid October, on about 21% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, St. Mary Parish, Sabine Parish, and Iberia Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).