Yazoo Refugewildlife
From March through May, wood ducks are common and nest in the refuge's 500-plus nest boxes, per the Fish and Wildlife Service. Its usual window for this year has passed.
Right now at Yazoo Refuge
Right now in Yazoo Refuge · September
- Southbound shorebirds use the Cox Ponds, July 15 into November · Jul–Nov
- Open to visitors year round; roads, parking and boat ramps close 1½ hours after sunset until 4 am · Jan–Dec
Next 7 days at Yazoo Refuge
- TodayMostly Sunny95° / 71°–
- ThuMostly Sunny94° / 71°22% rain
- FriChance Showers And Thunderstorms92° / 68°65% rain
- SatShowers And Thunderstorms84° / 66°78% rain
- SunChance Rain Showers80° / 62°52% rain
- MonSlight Chance Rain Showers80° / 57°16% rain
- TueSunny then Slight Chance Rain Showers80° / 59°15% rain
Today: sunrise 6:58 a.m., sunset 6:51 p.m., light until 7:16 p.m. · moon waning gibbous, 78% lit (our calculation)
Your guide to the area
Where to watch
- Holt Collier Boardwalk and Observation TowerA quarter-mile boardwalk across a slough to an observation platform on Lizard Lake, where you may see wood ducks, pied-billed grebes, moorhens, wading birds and alligators
- Alligator PondAn open-sided observation tower with views of alligators, purple gallinules, moorhens, green herons and other wildlife
Nearby
- Noxubee Refuge128 mi3 separate phases, from MaySatShowers And Thunderstorms
- Bayou Sauvage Refuge219 miSummer (June-August), 2013 bird listSatShowers And Thunderstorms
- Sequoyah Refuge281 miMarch – SeptemberSatChance Rain Showers
- Attwater Prairie Chicken Refuge390 milate February through early AprilSatShowers And Thunderstorms
- Patoka River Refuge417 mifrom mid-June through early OctoberSatSlight Chance Rain Showers then Partly Sunny
- St. Marks Refuge450 mi3 separate phases, from MaySatChance Showers And Thunderstorms
The year at Yazoo Refuge
- Open to visitors year round; roads, parking and boat ramps close 1½ hours after sunset until 4 amNowJan–Dec
- Wood ducks nest in the refuge's nest boxesMar–May
- Southbound shorebirds use the Cox Ponds, July 15 into NovemberNowJul–Nov
Questions people ask
When is the best time to see wildlife at Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge?
From March through May, wood ducks are common and nest in the refuge's 500-plus nest boxes, per the Fish and Wildlife Service: From March through May. That's general timing for this place, not a peak date or a forecast.
Is it the season at Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge right now?
Not now: its usual wildlife window for this year has passed. Next time: From March through May, local timing.
When is the refuge open?
All year. Refuge roads, parking areas and boat ramps close 1½ hours after sunset and reopen at 4 am.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yazoo NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Do I need a permit to watch wildlife?
A current Public Use Permit is required for uses such as hunting and fishing; the refuge lists it for those consumptive uses.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yazoo NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Is the visitor contact station open?
As of September 2026 the refuge lists it as closed.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yazoo NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Where can I photograph wildlife from the car?
Photographers use the main roads and Wildlife Drive for songbirds, waterfowl, wading birds, white-tailed deer and even the threatened Louisiana black bear.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yazoo NWR: Photography ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How do I get there?
The refuge is 28 miles south of Greenville: take Highway 1 south to the refuge sign, turn east on Yazoo Refuge Road and follow it to the headquarters sign.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yazoo NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Where are the best spots in Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge?
Holt Collier Boardwalk and Observation Tower: a quarter-mile boardwalk across a slough to an observation platform on Lizard Lake, where you may see wood ducks, pied-billed grebes, moorhens, wading birds and alligators; Alligator Pond: an open-sided observation tower with views of alligators, purple gallinules, moorhens, green herons and other wildlife.
What is Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge like through the year?
Wood ducks nest in the refuge's nest boxes (Mar–May), Southbound shorebirds use the Cox Ponds, July 15 into November (Jul–Nov) and Open to visitors year round; roads, parking and boat ramps close 1½ hours after sunset until 4 am (Jan–Dec).
How we know · Sources (6)
How we know
National Weather Service forecast and alerts (opens in a new tab) (Sep 30) · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yazoo NWR: Species (opens in a new tab) (Sep 29) · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yazoo NWR: Visit Us (opens in a new tab) (Sep 29) · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yazoo NWR: Photography (opens in a new tab) (Sep 29) · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yazoo NWR: Wildlife Watching (opens in a new tab) (Sep 29) · Wikipedia: Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge (opens in a new tab) (Sep 29) · Wikipedia contributors, adapted · CC BY-SA 4.0