WhenToBird

Coragyps atratus · Cathartidae

When Do Black Vultures Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult Black Vulture
Photo: Cricket Raspet, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Black Vulture is in Louisiana all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 6.7% in its quietest week (the second week of August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 22-31late March
Quietest weekAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: late March. Here all year. Peak: on about 12% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.3% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.3% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.2% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.9% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.1% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.1% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.8% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 10% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 10% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.7% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.1% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.2% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.2% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.4% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.3% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.1% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.1% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.0% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.7% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.9% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.4% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.9% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.9% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.0% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.4% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.6% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.5% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.6% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.4% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.6% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.3% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.4% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 10% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.2% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.7% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.5% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.9% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.9% 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. Washington ParishBest late April · 33 checklists that week, 975 in all55%
  2. Plaquemines ParishBest the second week of November · 172 checklists that week, 3,374 in all46%
  3. West Feliciana ParishBest early March · 41 checklists that week, 2,336 in all44%
  4. Iberville ParishBest the second week of May · 48 checklists that week, 2,343 in all44%
  5. Madison ParishBest mid July · 12 checklists that week, 491 in all43%
  6. East Feliciana ParishBest the second week of March · 22 checklists that week, 1,037 in all39%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (2)Orleans Parish, best early February · 20 checklists that week, 697 in all85%
  2. Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and PreserveJefferson Parish, best late January · 22 checklists that week, 789 in all72%
  3. Tickfaw State ParkLivingston Parish, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 674 in all70%
  4. Fosters CanalPlaquemines Parish, best early November · 28 checklists that week, 363 in all62%
  5. Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (Stump Bayou)Orleans Parish, best the second week of March · 20 checklists that week, 352 in all54%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Black Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (13% 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: 5.5% of 21115 checklists7 am: 7.8% of 38843 checklists8 am: 10% of 36306 checklists9 am: 13% of 31934 checklists10 am: 13% of 27208 checklists11 am: 12% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 11% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 10% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 9.8% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 8.4% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 6.3% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 5.2% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 3.5% 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
January11%9.3%9.3%9.2%
February9.9%9.1%9.1%9.8%
March11%10%12%12%
April11%11%11%10%
May11%11%10%9.7%
June9.1%9.2%9.2%8.4%
July7.3%7.1%7.1%7.0%
August6.7%6.9%6.4%6.9%
September6.9%7.0%6.4%7.6%
October7.5%7.6%8.4%7.6%
November8.3%9.4%10%9.2%
December8.7%9.5%9.9%9.9%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Black Vultures arrive in Louisiana?
The Black Vulture is in Louisiana all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 6.7% in its quietest week (the second week of August).
When do Black Vultures leave Louisiana?
The Black Vulture does not leave Louisiana: it is reported all year, from 6.7% of checklists in the second week of August to 12% in late March.
When is the best time to see a Black Vulture in Louisiana?
The Black Vulture is reported most often in late March, on about 12% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Black Vultures seen most often?
By county, Washington Parish, Plaquemines Parish, and West Feliciana Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).