3.3 Birds
Marshbirds Many secretive birds, such as rails, are dependent on coastal marshes. Te Black Rail in particular has experienced signifcant population declines in North Carolina and else- where (Delany and Scott 2002) . Te King Rail is declining in many areas where freshwater marshes are receiving increased saltwater intrusion (Cooper TR 2007) . Relatively little is known about the limiting factors of these species because of the hidden and inaccessible nature of their nesting habitats. Te North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Program was designed to develop and beta-test standardized protocols to be used in a national or continental monitoring efort. Information about the status and population trends of many species of secretive marsh birds is limited. Tis general lack of knowledge is the product of incon- sistencies in survey methodology that make it difcult to compare data from local and regional survey eforts. Current broad-scale monitoring eforts (e.g., BBS) lack adequate coverage of wetland habitat to provide statistically signifcant results on marsh bird trends. Currently data available through the program is managed by the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Maryland), in cooperation with the University of Arizona and the USFWS Ofce of Migratory Birds. Access to data is through the Marsh Birds Population Assessment and Monitoring Project: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/point/mb/. Songbirds North Carolina plays a key role in the life cycle of many migratory landbirds for all stages of their life cycle (breeding, wintering, and migration stopover habitats). Songbirds comprise the largest bird species group, and accordingly are found in every habitat type across the state. Breeding bird surveys and monitoring of priority species and habitats have been conducted on state-owned game lands and other public lands, on conservation partnership lands (e.g., NCWRC’s Cooperative Upland-habitat Restoration and Enhancement program) and on private lands, especially on early successional habitats. Data from these survey eforts have improved our understanding of distribution, relative abundance, and population trends for migratory songbirds, but are not adequate to assess larger population parameters (Alder and Least Flycatcher, Blackburnian Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Prairie Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Vesper Sparrow, and others). Te Golden-winged Warbler has experienced one of the steepest declines of any North American songbird (GWWG 2013; Sauer et al. 2013) , and is currently being petitioned for list- ing under the Endangered Species Act. It is threatened by loss of high-elevation succes- sional community habitats, exacerbated by hybridization with the Blue-winged Warbler. In North Carolina, a range-wide spatially balanced monitoring efort led by Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and supplemental surveys and monitoring have improved
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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