Backyard birds in Lake Charles, Louisiana
Which birds visit Lake Charles yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Lake Charles's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 30.213°, -93.204°
- Population
- 76,070
- June 21 daylight
- 14 h 6 min
- December 21 daylight
- 10 h 12 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:46 AM / 6:11 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 8a–10a
Nesting timing in Lake Charles
The state guides give nesting windows for Louisiana as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 30.6°N). Lake Charles is at 30.2°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts about the same time as the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Lake Charles goes from 10 h 12 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 14 h 6 min in June, a 3 h 54 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window March–August
- Eastern Bluebird — state window March–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Carolina Chickadee — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window April–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- Tufted Titmouse — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Blue Jay — state window March–July
- House Finch — state window March–August
Birds you can expect in Lake Charles
Year-round residents (70)
Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatchs, Blue Jays, House Finchs, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Chipping Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatchs, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Towhees, Gray Catbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Eastern Phoebes, Pine Warblers, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Eurasian Collared-Doves, American Crows, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Northern Bobwhites, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Eastern Meadowlarks, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Field Sparrows, Gray Catbirds, Hooded Mergansers, Common Yellowthroats, Canada Gooses, American Coots, Killdeers, American Woodcocks, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, Ospreys, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Barn Owls, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Horned Larks, Brown-headed Nuthatchs, Greater Roadrunners, Boat-tailed Grackles, Great-tailed Grackles, Rock Pigeons, Monk Parakeets
Summer breeders (34)
Purple Martins, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Orchard Orioles, Indigo Buntings, Painted Buntings, Barn Swallows, Chimney Swifts, Wood Thrushs, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, Lark Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, Yellow-throated Warblers, Prothonotary Warblers, Ovenbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, White-eyed Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, Spotted Sandpipers, Savannah Sparrows, Dickcissels, Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos
Winter visitors (32)
American Goldfinchs, House Wrens, Purple Finchs, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Tree Swallows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Rufous Hummingbirds, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Red Crossbills, Orange-crowned Warblers, Palm Warblers, Merlins, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Burrowing Owls, Swamp Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, White-winged Crossbills, Brewer's Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbirds
Mild winters make Louisiana a major wintering ground for sparrows, wrens, and even western hummingbirds.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Lake Charles
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Lake Charles, sunrise is around 6:46 AM in mid-April, 6:11 AM at the June solstice and 7:04 AM in late December (local time, America/Chicago). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Lake Charles yards
Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.
Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.
Blue-black fall fruit and dense nesting cover.
Nearby cities in Louisiana
- Sulphur — 10 mi away, nesting about the same time as Lake Charles
- Opelousas — 70 mi away, nesting about the same time as Lake Charles
- Lafayette — 71 mi away, nesting about the same time as Lake Charles
- New Iberia — 84 mi away, nesting about the same time as Lake Charles
- Alexandria — 88 mi away, nesting roughly 4 days later than Lake Charles
- Natchitoches — 107 mi away, nesting roughly 6 days later than Lake Charles
Frequently asked
What birds live in Lake Charles all year?
Year-round residents across Louisiana include Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker. All of them visit backyard feeders in Lake Charles.
When do birds start nesting in Lake Charles?
Lake Charles sits at a different latitude from Louisiana's population centre, so nesting runs about the same time as the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Lake Charles?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Lake Charles, sunrise is around 6:46 AM in mid-April and 6:11 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Louisiana
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.