Louisiana Duck Migration Report 2026

Duck observations in Louisiana usually climb from the week of Nov 2 and reach their fall high around the week of Nov 30; they stay above the halfway mark between their July level and that high through the week of Apr 6. That is from ten years of research grade iNaturalist observations, 2016 to 2025, counted as a share of all bird observations so the growth of the app does not skew it.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries runs the Louisiana Aerial Waterfowl Survey, Coastal Zone and Little River Basin; its highest published count is 2,458,000 ducks in January 2026, against the 1969 to 2026 January average of 2.94 million (the September 2026 count, which LDWF marks incomplete due to partial data: 89,000). Each count links to the agency's own report.

In Louisiana, blue-winged teal climb first, from around the week of Aug 31, and green-winged teal come last, from around the week of Nov 30. That is the week each species' share of bird observations first passes the halfway mark between its July level and its fall high; the species chart shows all of them week by week.

Louisiana is in the Mississippi Flyway. The continent's busiest duck corridor, following the Mississippi River system. The freeze watch for Louisiana reads forecast lows at the Mississippi Flyway's northern staging areas: Bemidji, Fergus Falls, Green Bay, Alpena, Saginaw Bay.

The 2026 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service breeding survey estimated 33.4 ± 0.6 million birds, 6% below the long-term average of 35.4 ± 0.09 million. That is the fall flight's starting point for every state, Louisiana included.

Season dates, zones and bag limits for Louisiana are set by the state wildlife agency inside the federal frameworks and are listed on the Louisiana waterfowl season page, linked below.