WhenToBird

Rallus limicola · Rallidae

When Do Virginia Rails Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult Virginia Rail
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Virginia Rails are winter birds in Louisiana: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in early November (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

Best: early November. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by early February. Peak: on about 1.7% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.3% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.6% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.3% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.8% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% 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 the second week of April · 26 checklists that week, 998 in all15%
  2. Jefferson Davis ParishBest the second week of November · 55 checklists that week, 2,828 in all14%
  3. Morehouse ParishBest early December · 11 checklists that week, 638 in all11%
  4. Vermilion ParishBest the second week of December · 77 checklists that week, 3,499 in all6.7%
  5. Iberia ParishBest late November · 38 checklists that week, 1,313 in all6.6%
  6. St. Tammany ParishBest late October · 908 checklists that week, 32,452 in all4.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tchefuncte River and Its TributariesSt. Tammany Parish, best late October · 44 checklists that week, 1,001 in all52%
  2. Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge (Bayou Cochon)St. Tammany Parish, best the second week of October · 25 checklists that week, 1,384 in all24%
  3. Red River National Wildlife Refuge (southeast)Red River Parish, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 657 in all20%
  4. Fontainebleau State Park District ISt. Tammany Parish, best mid October · 26 checklists that week, 1,161 in all16%
  5. Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife RefugeSt. Tammany Parish, best the second week of December · 27 checklists that week, 1,492 in all15%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Virginia Rail is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (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: 0.8% of 21115 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 38843 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 36306 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 31934 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 27208 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 0.4% 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
January1.0%0.5%0.6%0.5%
February0.6%0.3%0.3%0.3%
March0.6%0.4%0.4%0.4%
April0.3%0.4%0.4%0.3%
May0.1%0%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.6%0.5%0.8%1.7%
November2.3%1.1%0.8%0.8%
December0.8%1.1%1.2%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives the second week of April, 24 weeks earlier than Louisiana
  • Illinois: arrives early April, 23 weeks later than Louisiana
  • Ohio: arrives early April, 23 weeks later than Louisiana
  • New Mexico: arrives the second week of March, 20 weeks later than Louisiana

Common questions

When do Virginia Rails arrive in Louisiana?
Virginia Rails are winter birds in Louisiana: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in early November (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do Virginia Rails leave Louisiana?
Most Virginia Rails have left Louisiana by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Virginia Rail in Louisiana?
The Virginia Rail is reported most often in early November, on about 1.7% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Virginia Rails seen most often?
By county, Red River Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, and Morehouse Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Virginia Rail (counties with at least 200 checklists).