WhenToBird

Quiscalus major · Icteridae

When Do Boat-tailed Grackles Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult female Boat-tailed Grackle
Photo: Josiah Londerée, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Boat-tailed Grackles are in Louisiana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in mid April (14% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (early September) they are still on about 4.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestSep 1-7early September

Best: mid April. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 14% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 6.3% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.5% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.5% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.6% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.5% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.9% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.2% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.7% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.0% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.4% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 10% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.7% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 15% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.5% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.2% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.7% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.1% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.7% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.8% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.0% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.0% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.8% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.3% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.3% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.8% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.8% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.5% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.6% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.2% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.0% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.7% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.1% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.5% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.2% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.4% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.2% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.2% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.9% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.2% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.6% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.8% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.7% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.6% 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. St. Charles ParishBest late March · 49 checklists that week, 969 in all58%
  2. Plaquemines ParishBest late March · 63 checklists that week, 3,374 in all54%
  3. Cameron ParishBest mid May · 179 checklists that week, 17,943 in all51%
  4. Terrebonne ParishBest the second week of April · 160 checklists that week, 6,857 in all44%
  5. St. John the Baptist ParishBest early March · 18 checklists that week, 957 in all39%
  6. St. Mary ParishBest early February · 93 checklists that week, 2,241 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Irish Bayou LagoonOrleans Parish, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 365 in all96%
  2. Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge (Bayou Cochon)St. Tammany Parish, best early July · 20 checklists that week, 1,384 in all94%
  3. Tchefuncte River and Its TributariesSt. Tammany Parish, best the second week of July · 21 checklists that week, 1,001 in all92%
  4. Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (2)Orleans Parish, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 697 in all88%
  5. SellersSt. Charles Parish, best early April · 26 checklists that week, 411 in all81%
  6. Savanne Neuville IslandCameron Parish, best late April · 130 checklists that week, 1,491 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Boat-tailed Grackle is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (9.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 7.8% of 21115 checklists7 am: 8.0% of 38843 checklists8 am: 8.4% of 36306 checklists9 am: 8.0% of 31934 checklists10 am: 8.3% of 27208 checklists11 am: 8.7% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 8.9% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 9.8% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 9.4% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 8.0% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 7.0% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 6.7% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 5.5% 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
January6.3%5.5%5.5%6.6%
February7.5%6.9%6.2%8.7%
March9.0%9.4%10%9.7%
April11%12%14%15%
May11%9.5%9.2%8.7%
June7.1%5.7%5.8%7.0%
July6.0%5.8%5.3%5.3%
August4.8%4.8%5.5%4.6%
September5.2%4.0%4.7%6.1%
October6.5%7.2%6.4%11%
November8.2%7.2%5.9%7.2%
December6.6%6.8%5.7%6.6%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives mid August, 21 weeks later than Louisiana
  • Alabama: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Texas: arrives the second week of September, 24 weeks earlier than Louisiana
  • Georgia: arrives late August, 22 weeks later than Louisiana

Common questions

When do Boat-tailed Grackles arrive in Louisiana?
Boat-tailed Grackles are in Louisiana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in mid April (14% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (early September) they are still on about 4.6% of checklists.
When do Boat-tailed Grackles leave Louisiana?
Boat-tailed Grackles never fully leave Louisiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Boat-tailed Grackle in Louisiana?
The Boat-tailed Grackle is reported most often in mid April, on about 14% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Boat-tailed Grackles seen most often?
By county, St. Charles Parish, Plaquemines Parish, and Cameron Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Boat-tailed Grackle (counties with at least 200 checklists).