By the Region: Great Spots for Birding in Louisiana

Looking for top birding locations across Louisiana? Lucky for you, a little birdie gave us the best spots to watch in each region of the state.

North Louisiana

Red River National Wildlife Refuge

At Red River National Wildlife Refuge in Bossier City, a 5-mile trail system provides access to a stopover point for more than 200 species of migratory songbirds and shorebirds, plus wintering grounds for waterfowl and wading birds. Be sure to check out the visitor center, which hosts frequent interpretive programs.

C. Bickham Dickson Park

This 585-acre park is Shreveport’s largest urban greenspace — featuring open fields, bottomland hardwood forests, a 200-acre oxbow lake and access the Red River. More than 200 bird species have been recorded at the park, including the yellow-crowned night heron, red-headed woodpecker, eastern bluebird, loggerhead shrike and Baltimore oriole.

Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge

In Tallulah, this hardwood bottomland is said to rival any inland Louisiana location for birding. Species commonly spotted include wood duck, wild turkey and numerous warblers. Don't miss the extremely informative display on ivory-billed woodpeckers in the refuge’s visitor center.

Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge

At Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe, check out the 1,600-acre lake, nature trails, boardwalks, pier, observation deck and nature center — plus plenty of birdwatching spots. Next to the visitor center, you’ll find the Conservation Learning Center with animal exhibits, an arboretum with native Louisiana woody plants and a prairie demonstration area with native wildflowers.

Central Louisiana

J.C. "Sonny" Gilbert Wildlife Management Area

This wildlife management area in Harrisonburg, which is unusually hilly compared to Louisiana’s typical topography, features a waterfall that also serves as a nesting site for bald eagles. Surrounding forests are home to several warblers and flycatchers.

Kisatchie National Forest

The 17-mile Longleaf Trail Byway winds through some of the most varied terrain in the state. Kisatchie’s primary bird draw is the red-cockaded woodpecker, plus dozens of breeding, wintering and resident species, including broad-winged hawk, eastern towhee, flycatcher and waterthrush.

Toledo Bend Reservoir

At North Toledo Bend State Park in Zwolle and South Toledo Bend State Park in Anacoco, park the RV or stay in a cabin for your birding adventures along the Toledo Bend Reservoir, one of the country's largest manmade reservoirs. This area is ideal for birding, paddling, hiking and other outdoor adventures.

South Louisiana

Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge

Located inside Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, Pintail Wildlife Drive in Cameron is a scenic loop through freshwater marsh that hosts thousands of ducks, geese and other waterfowl during the winter months. Year-round, visitors can spot a variety of wading birds, shorebirds and marsh species — from herons and egrets to ibis and gallinules. Thanks to boardwalks and a gravel trail, the area is easily accessible and tripod-friendly.

Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge

Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge in Franklin is an ancient channel of the Mississippi River, where you can spot native species such as neotropical songbirds, wading birds and waterfowl. The refuge’s primary objective is to restore and manage bottomland hardwood forests, cypress-tupelo swamps and marshes in order to provide high-quality and diverse habitat to support the Louisiana black bear.

Tunica Hills Wildlife Management Area

It's no wonder noted naturalist and author-painter of "The Birds of America," John James Audubon, once resided near Tunica Hills Wildlife Management Area in St. Francisville. The management area is a hardwood forest where various woodpeckers, vireos, thrushes, warblers, wood storks and herons dwell among steep slopes, bluffs and creek bottoms.

Louisiana State University Campus Lakes

The lakes on and around LSU’s main campus in Baton Rouge are home to nearly 200 bird species, including egrets, herons and ibises. Mass sightings of American white pelicans during cooler months are known to clog traffic on lake-adjacent roads, as passersby slow down to admire the flocks.

City Park

As one of the oldest urban parks in the South, City Park in New Orleans encompasses 1,300 acres of hedges, fields and live oaks that are home to migrant flycatchers, vireos, thrushes, wood-warblers, tanagers, grosbeaks, buntings and orioles during fall and spring.

Bayou Petit Caillou

Bayou Petit Caillou at Marguerite Moffett Audubon Sanctuary in Chauvin and other small bayous in Terrebonne Parish are habitats for a variety of bird life, including least bittern, clapper rail, roseate spoonbills, herons, egrets, ibis, and white and brown pelicans. The sanctuary protects more than 100 acres of brackish marsh and shallow open water near Chauvin along the banks of the bayou.

For more information on birdwatching in the state, visit BirdingLouisiana.com.