WhenToBird

Limnothlypis swainsonii · Parulidae

When Do Swainson's Warblers Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult Swainson's Warbler
Photo: Ken Clark, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swainson's Warblers arrive in Louisiana in the second week of April, peak in early June (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakJun 1-7early June
Most gone byJul 1-7early July

Best: early June. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by early July. Peak: on about 2.0% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.5% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.1% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.7% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.2% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.9% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.5% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Webster ParishBest mid June · 11 checklists that week, 418 in all38%
  2. La Salle ParishBest late May · 49 checklists that week, 847 in all34%
  3. Allen ParishBest late August · 14 checklists that week, 466 in all24%
  4. Union ParishBest mid June · 27 checklists that week, 2,155 in all22%
  5. Catahoula ParishBest early June · 29 checklists that week, 464 in all22%
  6. Jackson ParishBest early July · 11 checklists that week, 481 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pearl River Wildlife Management AreaSt. Tammany Parish, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 505 in all40%
  2. Palmetto Island State ParkVermilion Parish, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 300 in all23%
  3. Bluebonnet Swamp Nature CenterEast Baton Rouge Parish, best the second week of May · 23 checklists that week, 1,310 in all16%
  4. Bogue Chitto State ParkWashington Parish, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 325 in all12%
  5. Lake ComeauxSt. Martin Parish, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 144 in all9.8%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Swainson's Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.7% of 21115 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 38843 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 36306 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 31934 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 27208 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0.2%
April0.6%1.5%2.0%1.3%
May1.1%1.2%1.6%2.1%
June1.7%2.0%1.2%1.2%
July0.9%0.5%0.3%0.3%
August0.1%0.2%0.3%0.2%
September0.4%0.2%0.2%0.1%
October0%0.1%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Louisiana
  • Alabama: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Louisiana
  • Georgia: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Louisiana
  • Tennessee: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Louisiana

Common questions

When do Swainson's Warblers arrive in Louisiana?
Swainson's Warblers arrive in Louisiana in the second week of April, peak in early June (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.
When do Swainson's Warblers leave Louisiana?
Most Swainson's Warblers have left Louisiana by early July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Warbler in Louisiana?
The Swainson's Warbler is reported most often in early June, on about 2.0% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Swainson's Warblers seen most often?
By county, Webster Parish, La Salle Parish, and Allen Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).