United States Ramsar wetland
Catahoula Lake
183 bird species recorded; the most in January and in October.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
101 species in January.87 species in February.71 species in March.66 species in April.68 species in May.75 species in June.98 species in July.94 species in August.100 species in September.109 species in October.84 species in November.88 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
NT
NT
NTNTVU
VUNTNT
NT
NT
VUNTVU
NTNTNTVUNTNTNTNT
NT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
183 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 183Speciesrecorded more than once
- 126Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 7ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 5,215Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 12Raptors
- 2Owls
- 29Waders
- 4Gulls & seabirds
- 18Ducks & geese
- 16Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 84Songbirds
- 17Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 183 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors12 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
Owls2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
Waders29 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Bartram's SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- Piping PloverCharadrius melodusNT
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
Gulls & seabirds4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Least TernSternula antillarum
Ducks & geese18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- GadwallMareca strepera
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- RedheadAythya americana
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
Herons, ibises & grebes16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- White IbisEudocimus albus
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Plegadis chihiPlegadis chihi
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Wood StorkMycteria americana
Songbirds84 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis
- Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
- Painted BuntingPasserina ciris
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Pine WarblerSetophaga pinus
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Orchard orioleIcterus spurius
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Hooded WarblerSetophaga citrina
- Toxostoma rufumToxostoma rufum
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Kentucky WarblerGeothlypis formosa
- Winter WrenTroglodytes hiemalis
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Swainson's warblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Yellow-throated WarblerSetophaga dominica
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- Grass WrenCistothorus platensis
- Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolor
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Say's phoebeSayornis saya
- Brown-headed NuthatchSitta pusilla
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
Other birds17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tsįįłkaałii bitłʼaaʼ halchíʼígííMelanerpes carolinus
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
- American CootFulica americana
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in January and in October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan14°/3°129 mm
- Feb16°/5°133 mm
- Mar20°/9°125 mm
- Apr25°/13°106 mm
- May29°/18°111 mm
- Jun33°/22°110 mm
- Jul34°/23°114 mm
- Aug34°/23°108 mm
- Sep32°/20°103 mm
- Oct27°/14°118 mm
- Nov20°/8°108 mm
- Dec15°/4°134 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Catahoula Lake.
Large freshwater lake located in La Salle Parish and Rapides Parish of central Louisiana, United States
Catahoula Lake is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United States.
183 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 5,215 open records.
The most recorded are the Northern Cardinal, the American Crow and the Carolina Wren.
64 species come for the summer, 61 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
7 are threatened worldwide, including Lesser yellowlegs, Grey Plover and Chimney Swift.
The most species are recorded in January and in October.
Get there and watch
- Devillenearest town · 18 km in a straight line
- Alexandria International Airport (AEX)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 47 km in a straight lineCar hire at AEX airport (Alexandria)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
- places to stay within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Catahoula Lake.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Lakeyas2 lakes within 15 kmCatahoula Lake62 km² · 1.1 kmLittle Lake2.6 km² · 9.9 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Catahoula Lake
United States
- 79Birdyas Score
- 183Species
- 126Migrants
- 7Threatened
Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge
United States · 329 km
- 73Birdyas Score
- 179Species
- 109Migrants
- 4Threatened
Cache River National Wildlife Refuge
United States · 368 km
- 62Birdyas Score
- 133Species
- 70Migrants
- 3Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q5051203) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 5,215 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Lakeyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit