LOUISIANA OFFICE OF TOURISM LAUNCHES BIRDING WEBSITE

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Office of Tourism announced the launch of a new Louisiana birding website. The project was funded by a CARES Act grant to develop a strategy to help rural and underserved communities in Louisiana.

“Louisiana is a birder’s paradise. Located along one of the primary migration routes for North American birds – the Mississippi Flyway – the state offers opportunities to see over 470 unique species of birds,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Louisiana’s beautiful outdoors has been attracting nature lovers from around the world, and this resource creates another way to Feed Your Soul all across the state.”

To create the site and robust birding content, LOT put together a team of Louisiana birding experts to conduct fieldwork. Location nominations were submitted by the public. After each nomination was assessed, 256 unique locations were chosen to be presented on the site.

The new ADA-compliant, interactive website, BirdingLouisiana.com, is colorful and vibrant, organizing the state into six regions for birders to explore. Each site is listed with what species of birds can be found, and where they might be seen. It also includes what other outdoor recreation is available in the area – such as paddling or fishing. The site also incorporates bird sounds for each species listed.

Outdoor recreation is a huge economic driver across the nation. In 2022, outdoor recreation activities in Louisiana generated $7.9 billion in gross domestic product according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is an increase of 18.9% over 2021. Additionally, outdoor recreation supported 57,580 jobs in 2022.

“Now is the ideal time for the launch of this wonderful website,” said Assistant Secretary of Tourism Doug Bourgeois. “As interest in birding increases, we can offer this expert-curated content to visitors as a guide to explore Louisiana’s outdoors in every corner of the state.”

Learn more and explore all of Louisiana’s birding opportunities at BirdingLouisiana.com.