14 



WRENS 



PLOVERS 



TERNS 



ICTERIDS 



— SHORT-BILL - 



LONG-BILL- 



BLACK 



-FORSTERS- 

 RUDDY 

 ■REDHEAD 



AMERICAN ' 



KING R.- 



- SORA — 



— VIRGINIA- 



• LEAST ■ 



COOT 

 GALLINULE 



BOBOLINK 

 tUEADOWLARK 



u,^^ REDWING YELLOWHEAD 



UPLAND 

 GRASSES 



LOWLAND 

 GRASSES 



SEDGE CATTAIL 



HARDSTEM 



MINK 

 MUSKRAT 



MUSKRAT 



Fig. 13. Wetland habitat utilization by several families of birds (from Weller and Spatcher 1965). 



bass feed and spawn in these wetlands. River swamps in 

 Georgia produce 1 ,300 pounds of fish per acre (Wharton 

 1970). The bottomlands of the Altamaha River in Geor- 

 gia are used for spawning by hickory shad and blueback 

 herring (Wharton and Kitchens 1982). Southern bottom- 

 land forested wetlands are also the home of the edible red 

 swamp crayfish ("crawdads"") which burrow down to the 

 water table when flooding waters recede (Patrick, et al. 

 1981 ). Wetland vegetation along western rivers is impor- 

 tant to fishes in many ways, including providing cover, 

 shade for water temperature regulation, and food for 

 aquatic insects which are eaten by fishes. 



Waterfowl and Other Bird Habitat 



In addition to providing year-round habitats for resi- 

 dent birds, wetlands are especially important as breeding 

 grounds, overwintering areas and feeding grounds for 

 migratory waterfowl and numerous other birds (Figure 

 13). Both coastal and inland wetlands serve these valu- 

 able functions. 



Salt marshes along the Atlantic coast are used for nest- 

 ing by birds such as black ducks, laughing gulls, Forster's 

 terns, sharp-tailed sparrows, clapper rails, blue-winged 

 teals, willets, marsh hawks, and seaside sparrows. Wad- 

 ing birds like herons and egrets also feed and nest in 

 coastal wetlands. Northeastern salt marshes are prime 

 wintering grounds for black ducks in the Atlantic Fly way . 

 Atlantic coastal marshes are also important feeding and 

 stopover areas for migrating snow geese, peregrine fal- 



cons, shorebirds. wading birds and others. Intertidal 

 mudflats along all coasts are principal feeding grounds 

 for migratory shorebirds (e.g.. oystercatchers, plovers 

 and knots), while swallows and chimney swifts can often 

 be seen feeding on flying insects over the marshes. 



As one moves upstream into the fresh coastal marshes, 

 other birds can be observed nesting including redwinged 

 blackbirds, long-billed marsh wrens, least bitterns and 

 clapper rails. Nesting birds of freshwater tidal marshes in 

 New Jersey, for example, include these four birds, plus 

 American goldfinch, swamp sparrow. Indigo bunting, 

 common yellowthroat, yellow warbler, Traill's fly- 

 catcher, wood duck, green heron, and common gallinule 

 (Hawkins and Leek 1977). Many of these birds utilize 

 non-tidal wetlands as well for nesting. 



The Nation's inland wetlands are most noted for water- 

 fowl production, although they also serve as important 

 nesting, feeding and resting areas for other migrating 

 birds (Figures 14 and 15). The Prairie Pothole Region of 

 the Dakotas is the principal breeding area for waterfowl in 

 the United States. Pothole nesters include 15 species, 

 with mallard, pintail and blue-winged teal most abundant 

 (Smith, et al. 1964). Many of these nesters use different 

 types of wetlands for mating and for rearing young. Indi- 

 vidual mallard hens may use more than 20 different wet- 

 lands during the nesting season (Dwyer, et al. 1979). 

 Besides waterfowl . other birds also nest in these wetlands 

 such as redwinged blackbirds. Brewer's blackbirds, king- 

 birds, killdeer, spotted sandpipers, sparrows, Wilson's 

 phalaropes and black terns (Johnsgard 1956). Pothole and 

 other inland emergent wetlands also provide important 



