58 
Joshua Laerm, et al. 
M. Thompson (see Wright and Harper 1913) recorded observations on 
birds, but the most significant avian surveys in the swamp were not to 
begin until 1912 and the Cornell expeditions. Wright and Harper (1913) 
listed 94 bird species based on the first expedition. Subsequent avian sur- 
veys were conducted by Cornell personnel until 1937, but only incidental 
accounts were published (Wright 1926). Frederick V. Hebard, an 
amateur ornithologist, accumulated records of birds of the swamp for 
almost 50 years. Although he published an annotated winter bird 
checklist (Hebard 1941), the completion of a more comprehensive list 
was interrupted by his death. Extensive observations of birds compiled 
by H.A. Carter, E.R. Green, and F.V. Hebard were to be published. This 
was never realized because of disagreement and communication prob- 
lems among the authors. 
A number of ONWR biologists (especially H.A. Carter, R.J. 
Fleetwood, E. Cypert, and L. Walker) have made significant contribu- 
tions to our knowledge of Okefenokee birds. Carter compiled the most 
extensive and detailed reports from 1940 to 1942. Later, Fleetwood 
collected bird notes and conducted a series of quantitative breeding cen- 
suses (Fleetwood 1947a, 1947b, 1948). Cypert organized the bird records 
and compiled the current checklists (Anon. 1971, 1974). Recent surveys 
have been conducted by J. Meyers. 
Comparison With Regional Fauna 
The Okefenokee Swamp is an important wintering and breeding 
area for approximately 232 bird species (Table 3). The coastal region of 
Georgia, including the swamp, and the Southeast in general have fewer 
breeding bird species but higher winter bird densities and species richness 
than the northeastern United States. Approximately 120 bird species are 
known to breed in the Coastal Plain of Georgia (Burleigh 1958), although 
fewer breeding birds actually are found in the Okefenokee Swamp. Salt 
marsh or coastal breeding birds generally are not observed in the swamp 
but occasionally are recorded during spring and fall migrations and 
following strong eastern winds (Table 3). Several Coastal Plain breeding 
species are either absent or unconfirmed from the swamp (Table 4). Ab- 
sence of some of these species is due to lack of appropriate breeding 
habitat, but lack of observations for others may be due to their rarity. 
The wintering birds of the swamp are similar to those of the sur- 
rounding Coastal Plain with only a few exceptions. The most notable one 
is the large population of Sandhill Cranes, Grus canadensis pratensis, 
occurring on the refuge (Sanderson 1977). 
Habitat Distribution of the Birds 
Birds, perhaps more than other vertebrates, are habitat specific. The 
diversity of Okefenokee Swamp habitats, in comparison to the sur- 
rounding uplands, at least partly accounts for the large diversity of resi- 
dent, breeding, and wintering species. While the specified habitat types 
