WhenToBird

Zonotrichia albicollis · Passerellidae

When Do White-throated Sparrows Arrive in Louisiana?

Adult White-throated Sparrow
Photo: northerly, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Louisiana: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of December (24% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 24% of Louisiana checklists.

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

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 23% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 21% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 22% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 20% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 21% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 20% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 21% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 18% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 18% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 17% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.6% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% 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: 0.3% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.3% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.1% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 14% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 18% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 20% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 21% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 23% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 23% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 25% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 22% 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. La Salle ParishBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 847 in all84%
  2. Bossier ParishBest the second week of November · 45 checklists that week, 3,463 in all76%
  3. Claiborne ParishBest the second week of November · 25 checklists that week, 1,949 in all71%
  4. Red River ParishBest early January · 18 checklists that week, 998 in all70%
  5. East Carroll ParishBest the second week of April · 11 checklists that week, 317 in all66%
  6. De Soto ParishBest early March · 14 checklists that week, 1,023 in all65%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. City Park LakeEast Baton Rouge Parish, best mid January · 25 checklists that week, 1,057 in all98%
  2. Flonacher Road ParkEast Baton Rouge Parish, best the second week of December · 20 checklists that week, 793 in all96%
  3. Red River National Wildlife RefugeBossier Parish, best early April · 53 checklists that week, 1,681 in all94%
  4. C. Bickham Dickson Park - in Bossier Ph.Caddo Parish, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 581 in all85%
  5. Bluebonnet Swamp Nature CenterEast Baton Rouge Parish, best early January · 34 checklists that week, 1,310 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the White-throated Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (14% 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: 10% of 21115 checklists7 am: 15% of 38843 checklists8 am: 14% of 36306 checklists9 am: 13% of 31934 checklists10 am: 11% of 27208 checklists11 am: 10% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 10% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 9.8% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 10% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 11% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 10% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 7.2% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 4.5% 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
January23%21%22%20%
February21%20%21%18%
March19%18%17%17%
April16%15%11%4.6%
May0.5%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0.3%3.3%7.1%
November14%18%20%21%
December23%23%25%22%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Louisiana
  • Alabama: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Louisiana
  • Texas: arrives mid October, in the same week than Louisiana
  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Louisiana

Common questions

When do White-throated Sparrows arrive in Louisiana?
White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Louisiana: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of December (24% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do White-throated Sparrows leave Louisiana?
Most White-throated Sparrows have left Louisiana by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a White-throated Sparrow in Louisiana?
The White-throated Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 24% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are White-throated Sparrows seen most often?
By county, La Salle Parish, Bossier Parish, and Claiborne Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-throated Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).