Chapter 3 North Carolina Species
• Aerial surveys of Wood Stork colonies and potential sites have been conducted annually since 2005. Wood Stork nesting in North Carolina is the farthest north of the nesting population in the United States. This northward expansion and their adaptability led to down-listing by the USFWS from endangered to threatened in 2014. They are considered for de-listing in 2026. • The Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Little Blue Heron, and Glossy Ibis are small long-legged wading birds that nest in North Carolina’s coastal region. Population trends of these species indicate a decline in numbers of nesting pairs, and nesting population sizes do not meet the state’s management goals (Shields and Parnell 1990; Kushlan et al. 2002; Hunter et al. 2006) . These species use estuarine salt marsh and dredge spoil islands for nesting and coastal marshes for foraging. Erosion of waterbird islands and loss of coastal marsh foraging habitat from sea level rise are concerns. Coastal marshes in North Carolina are not gaining in elevation at a pace sufficient to keep up with sea level rise (Bost et al. 2024, SECOORA 2024) . • The Common Tern, Gull-billed Tern, and Black Skimmer also nest in the coastal region, selecting nearly bare sandy areas on barrier- and dredged-material islands. Numbers of nesting pairs of all three species have declined for more than five years, and their populations continue to remain below the state goals. 3.3.3.3 Marsh Birds Many secretive birds, such as rails, are dependent on coastal marshes. The Eastern Black Rail in particular has experienced significant population declines in North Carolina and elsewhere. Their populations have experienced a 90% decline since the 1990s. They are declining at a rate of 9% per year likely due to loss of high-elevation coastal marsh habitat from a high rate of sea level rise, flooding from more frequent and intense storms, and loss of shallow, herbaceous freshwater marsh (USFWS 2019, ACJV 2020) . • The Eastern Black Rail was listed for federal ESA protection as threatened; North Carolina protection status matches the federal status (NCAC 10I .0104). The Eastern Black Rail Call- Response Survey Protocol for Range-Wide Monitoring was adopted by the USFWS and is available on its website https://www.fws.gov/media/eastern-black-rail-call-response- survey-protocol-range-wide-monitoring. The NCWRC uses this protocol for Black Rail surveys conducted in the eastern part of the state. • The King Rail can tolerate deeper water levels than Black Rails and relies mainly on freshwater or oligohaline marshes. Both are declining in many areas where freshwater marshes are receiving increased saltwater intrusion (Cooper 2007) . Relatively little is known about the limiting factors of these rail species because of the hidden and inaccessible nature of their nesting habitats.
The North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Program was designed to develop and beta-test standardized protocols to be used in a national or continental monitoring effort. Information
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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