WhenToBird

Astur cooperii · Accipitridae

When Do Cooper's Hawks Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult male Cooper's Hawk
Photo: Shirley Zundell, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cooper's Hawks are in Louisiana all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late August, peak in the second week of October (6.6% of checklists), and fall back by late December. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 2.3% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 22-31late August
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Fall back byDec 22-31late December
FewestMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: the second week of October. Here all year; numbers build from late August and fall back by late December. Peak: on about 6.6% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 4.2% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.1% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.5% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.9% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.9% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.2% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.3% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.7% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.8% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.9% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.7% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.6% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.7% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.6% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.1% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.5% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.3% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.2% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.5% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.3% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.5% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.9% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.1% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.4% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.3% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.5% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.7% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.9% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.8% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.3% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.2% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.7% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.1% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.7% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.4% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.4% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.3% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.2% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.8% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.7% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.9% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.9% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.9% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.0% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.1% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.4% 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. Red River ParishBest late November · 13 checklists that week, 998 in all19%
  2. Plaquemines ParishBest late October · 110 checklists that week, 3,374 in all19%
  3. Iberville ParishBest the second week of June · 33 checklists that week, 2,343 in all15%
  4. Orleans ParishBest mid October · 886 checklists that week, 40,365 in all14%
  5. Richland ParishBest early November · 19 checklists that week, 835 in all13%
  6. Franklin ParishBest the second week of October · 11 checklists that week, 416 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lsu Research Station (University Lake)East Baton Rouge Parish, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 426 in all39%
  2. London ParkOrleans Parish, best mid October · 27 checklists that week, 827 in all36%
  3. Audubon ParkOrleans Parish, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 1,757 in all32%
  4. City Park LakeEast Baton Rouge Parish, best the second week of April · 42 checklists that week, 1,057 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Cooper's Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.6% 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: 8.7% of 21115 checklists7 am: 5.5% of 38843 checklists8 am: 4.9% of 36306 checklists9 am: 3.8% of 31934 checklists10 am: 3.4% of 27208 checklists11 am: 3.1% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 3.2% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 3.4% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 3.3% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 2.6% 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
January4.2%4.1%3.5%3.9%
February3.9%4.2%4.3%4.7%
March4.8%4.9%4.7%4.6%
April3.7%3.6%3.1%2.5%
May2.3%2.2%2.5%2.3%
June2.5%2.9%3.1%2.4%
July2.4%3.3%3.5%2.7%
August3.9%3.8%4.3%4.2%
September5.7%6.1%5.7%6.4%
October6.4%6.3%7.2%5.8%
November5.7%4.9%4.9%5.1%
December4.9%5.0%5.1%4.4%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of June, 10 weeks earlier than Louisiana
  • Alabama: year-round, peaks mid October
  • Texas: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks later than Louisiana
  • Arkansas: arrives mid June, 9 weeks earlier than Louisiana

Common questions

When do Cooper's Hawks arrive in Louisiana?
Cooper's Hawks are in Louisiana all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late August, peak in the second week of October (6.6% of checklists), and fall back by late December. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 2.3% of checklists.
When do Cooper's Hawks leave Louisiana?
Cooper's Hawks never fully leave Louisiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late December, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.3% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Cooper's Hawk in Louisiana?
The Cooper's Hawk is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 6.6% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Cooper's Hawks seen most often?
By county, Red River Parish, Plaquemines Parish, and Iberville Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cooper's Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).