WhenToBird

Botaurus exilis · Ardeidae

When Do Least Bitterns Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult Least Bittern
Photo: William J. Deml, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Least Bitterns arrive in Louisiana in the second week of April, peak in early May (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byAug 22-31late August

Best: early May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by late August. Peak: on about 2.1% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.3% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.1% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.7% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.8% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.8% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.6% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.7% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.0% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Cameron ParishBest mid July · 81 checklists that week, 17,943 in all20%
  2. Plaquemines ParishBest the second week of June · 32 checklists that week, 3,374 in all19%
  3. Richland ParishBest the second week of June · 15 checklists that week, 835 in all17%
  4. Iberville ParishBest the second week of August · 37 checklists that week, 2,343 in all10%
  5. St. Bernard ParishBest early June · 17 checklists that week, 1,331 in all9.1%
  6. Concordia ParishBest late July · 15 checklists that week, 983 in all8.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge (Bayou Cochon)St. Tammany Parish, best early July · 20 checklists that week, 1,384 in all51%
  2. Irish Bayou LagoonOrleans Parish, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 365 in all45%
  3. Savanne Neuville IslandCameron Parish, best late April · 130 checklists that week, 1,491 in all42%
  4. Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (2)Orleans Parish, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 697 in all29%
  5. Sabine National Wildlife RefugeCameron Parish, best early May · 53 checklists that week, 800 in all24%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Least Bittern is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.0% of 21115 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 38843 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 36306 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 31934 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 27208 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 1.1% 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
January0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
April0.6%1.1%1.6%2.3%
May2.1%1.7%1.4%1.8%
June1.8%1.6%1.7%1.9%
July1.4%1.7%1.6%1.5%
August1.6%1.0%1.1%1.0%
September0.8%0.5%0.5%0.4%
October0.4%0.2%0.2%0.2%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Louisiana
  • Texas: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Louisiana
  • Florida: arrives late February, 6 weeks earlier than Louisiana
  • South Carolina: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Louisiana

Common questions

When do Least Bitterns arrive in Louisiana?
Least Bitterns arrive in Louisiana in the second week of April, peak in early May (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.
When do Least Bitterns leave Louisiana?
Most Least Bitterns have left Louisiana by late August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Least Bittern in Louisiana?
The Least Bittern is reported most often in early May, on about 2.1% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Least Bitterns seen most often?
By county, Cameron Parish, Plaquemines Parish, and Richland Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Least Bittern (counties with at least 200 checklists).