Chapter 3 North Carolina Species
Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Examine nest parasitism impacts on bird productivity in small versus large habitat patches.
Brown-headed Cowbird
• Identify lands that can be converted to non-tidal or supratidal herbaceous marsh for the benefit of Black and King Rail and other waterbirds. Evaluate freshwater herbaceous marsh habitat creation techniques and response by SGCN.
Freshwater marsh
Black Rail King Rail
Waterbirds Marsh birds
• Examine habitat use and conduct nesting habitat research on marsh birds. Employ unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) with lidar to examine microtopography and vegetation of coastal high marshes relative to Black Rail occupancy. Evaluate and use, if successful, UAS with thermal cameras to identify Black Rail spatial distribution in coastal marshes, relative to microtopography.
Marsh habitats
Black Rail
Marsh birds
• Employ game cameras to evaluate Black Rail reproduction and determine the adult flightless molt period in North Carolina.
Black Rail
• Evaluate water levels and the effects of prescribed fire in marshes where Black Rails are present. Examine the effect of prescribed fire on salt marsh migration. Evaluate the benefit to Black Rails of cutting and/or burning ‘ghost’ forests (forests killed by saltwater intrusion).
Marsh habitats
Black Rail
• Assess the importance of stopover habitats in North Carolina for SGCN migratory species using aeroecology (radar) or other remote-sensing technologies.
• Investigate predation of Piping Plover chicks by Gull-billed Terns, population decline in both species, and strategies for both species to meet recovery/management goals.
Piping Plover
Gull-billed Tern
• Study the effects of large gull depredation on other beach-nesting birds.
Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Beach nesting birds
Piping Plover Wilson’s Plover
Common Tern Black Skimmer
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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