WhenToBird

Haemorhous purpureus · Fringillidae

When Do Purple Finches Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult Purple Finch
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Purple Finches are winter birds in Louisiana: the first arrive in mid November, they are common by the second week of December, peak in the second week of February (5.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byDec 8-14the second week of December
PeakFeb 8-14the second week of February
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of February. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 5.9% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 4.5% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.2% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.1% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.6% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.0% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.3% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.3% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.3% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.7% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.7% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.4% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.4% 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. Claiborne ParishBest mid February · 13 checklists that week, 1,949 in all29%
  2. Grant ParishBest the second week of February · 26 checklists that week, 998 in all27%
  3. West Carroll ParishBest mid January · 13 checklists that week, 305 in all24%
  4. West Feliciana ParishBest the second week of February · 35 checklists that week, 2,336 in all23%
  5. De Soto ParishBest early January · 29 checklists that week, 1,023 in all23%
  6. Ouachita ParishBest the second week of February · 148 checklists that week, 6,395 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. City Park LakeEast Baton Rouge Parish, best early January · 33 checklists that week, 1,057 in all44%
  2. London ParkOrleans Parish, best late December · 23 checklists that week, 827 in all21%
  3. Bluebonnet Swamp Nature CenterEast Baton Rouge Parish, best early February · 47 checklists that week, 1,310 in all11%
  4. Chalmette BattlefieldSt. Bernard Parish, best late December · 38 checklists that week, 282 in all8.6%
  5. Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (2)Orleans Parish, best early January · 43 checklists that week, 697 in all5.8%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Purple Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (2.2% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 1.5% of 21115 checklists7 am: 2.3% of 38843 checklists8 am: 2.2% of 36306 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 31934 checklists10 am: 1.7% of 27208 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January4.5%5.2%5.1%4.6%
February5.0%6.3%6.3%3.3%
March3.3%2.7%1.5%0.7%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0%0.1%
November0.1%0.9%1.2%1.1%
December2.4%2.7%3.4%3.4%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of November, 1 week earlier than Louisiana
  • Alabama: arrives early November, 2 weeks earlier than Louisiana
  • Texas: arrives early December, 2 weeks later than Louisiana
  • Arkansas: arrives late October, 3 weeks earlier than Louisiana

Common questions

When do Purple Finches arrive in Louisiana?
Purple Finches are winter birds in Louisiana: the first arrive in mid November, they are common by the second week of December, peak in the second week of February (5.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Purple Finches leave Louisiana?
Most Purple Finches have left Louisiana by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid March.
When is the best time to see a Purple Finch in Louisiana?
The Purple Finch is reported most often in the second week of February, on about 5.9% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Purple Finches seen most often?
By county, Claiborne Parish, Grant Parish, and West Carroll Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).