WhenToBird

Melospiza georgiana · Passerellidae

When Do Swamp Sparrows Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult Swamp Sparrow
Photo: Sandra Keller, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Louisiana: the first arrive in early October, they are common by mid October, peak in mid December (19% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: mid December. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 19% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 17% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 14% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 15% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 14% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 10% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.6% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 10% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 10% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.6% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.4% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.8% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.9% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.9% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.9% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.7% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 19% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 19% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 18% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 22% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 18% 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 early November · 26 checklists that week, 998 in all70%
  2. Plaquemines ParishBest the second week of November · 172 checklists that week, 3,374 in all50%
  3. Morehouse ParishBest the second week of November · 11 checklists that week, 638 in all50%
  4. Iberia ParishBest late November · 38 checklists that week, 1,313 in all49%
  5. Jefferson Davis ParishBest the second week of December · 62 checklists that week, 2,828 in all44%
  6. Vermilion ParishBest early December · 36 checklists that week, 3,499 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tchefuncte River and Its TributariesSt. Tammany Parish, best the second week of November · 23 checklists that week, 1,001 in all89%
  2. Irish Bayou Lagoon (Little Irish Bayou)Orleans Parish, best late November · 22 checklists that week, 233 in all88%
  3. Red River National Wildlife Refuge (southeast)Red River Parish, best early November · 22 checklists that week, 657 in all82%
  4. Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (2)Orleans Parish, best late December · 43 checklists that week, 697 in all80%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Swamp Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 7.6% of 21115 checklists7 am: 9.8% of 38843 checklists8 am: 10% of 36306 checklists9 am: 9.5% of 31934 checklists10 am: 9.0% of 27208 checklists11 am: 8.7% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 8.8% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 8.4% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 8.6% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 8.0% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 6.5% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 4.0% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 1.5% 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
January17%14%15%14%
February15%10%9.6%11%
March10%10%9.6%8.4%
April7.8%7.9%4.9%1.9%
May0.2%0.1%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.7%5.7%12%17%
November19%20%18%19%
December17%18%22%18%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives early October, in the same week than Louisiana
  • Alabama: arrives early October, in the same week than Louisiana
  • Texas: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Louisiana
  • Arkansas: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than Louisiana

Common questions

When do Swamp Sparrows arrive in Louisiana?
Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Louisiana: the first arrive in early October, they are common by mid October, peak in mid December (19% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Swamp Sparrows leave Louisiana?
Most Swamp Sparrows have left Louisiana by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Swamp Sparrow in Louisiana?
The Swamp Sparrow is reported most often in mid December, on about 19% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Swamp Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Red River Parish, Plaquemines Parish, and Morehouse Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swamp Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).