Little Blue Heron
Latin:
Egretta caerulea
The Flyways
Mississippi Flyway
Coastal Stewardship: Gulf
All along the Gulf Coast, Audubon conserves, restores, protects, and monitors coastal sites for colonial and beach-nesting birds
A River of Birds
From the headwaters of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
More than 325 bird species make the round-trip each year along the Mississippi Flyway, from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern United States to their wintering grounds along the Gulf of Mexico and in Central and South America.
Many of those birds and their critical habitats were profoundly affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill—habitat that will be further eroded by sea-level rise. Audubon knows that only a comprehensive restoration program, and a long-term financial commitment to restoring the Gulf, will keep the flyway hospitable to birds.
We’ve established a Gulf-wide stewardship plan for the full range of coastal waterbirds, and this year Audubon received the first installment of funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to get those restoration projects started.
We protect Whooping Cranes, Least Terns, Prothonotary Warblers, and many other species at both the north and south ends of their migrations. From Minnesota, where we successfully lobbied the Environmental Protection Agency to stay the permit of a sulfide ore mine, to shorebird stewardship projects in Mississippi, we are there for the birds.
Mottled Duck
Latin:
Anas fulvigula
Sanderling
Latin:
Calidris alba
Brown Pelican
Latin:
Pelecanus occidentalis
Snowy Plover
Latin:
Charadrius nivosus
Bobolink
Latin:
Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Red Knot
Latin:
Calidris canutus
Western Sandpiper
Latin:
Calidris mauri
Clapper Rail
Latin:
Rallus crepitans
Black Skimmer
Latin:
Rynchops niger
Seaside Sparrow
Latin:
Ammospiza maritima
Wilson's Plover
Latin:
Charadrius wilsonia
Ruddy Turnstone
Latin:
Arenaria interpres
Reddish Egret
Latin:
Egretta rufescens
American Oystercatcher
Latin:
Haematopus palliatus
Short-billed Dowitcher
Latin:
Limnodromus griseus
Piping Plover
Latin:
Charadrius melodus
Least Tern
Latin:
Sternula antillarum
Mississippi Flyway In the News
News
Great Lakes Piping Plovers Have a Record-breaking Breeding Season
Piping plover recovery partners are celebrating many successes as the summer comes to a close.
Press Room
Bipartisan Water Resources Bill Modernized to Meet 21st Century Issues
Audubon applauds funding for water infrastructure, climate resiliency, environmental justice.
News
The Clean Water Act at 50 and What it Means for Birds
A look ahead at what’s working, what’s not, and where we go from here.
Conservation Projects in the Mississippi Flyway
Arctic Slope
The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which serves as the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd, has long been a high-profile loca- tion in the debate over energy development versus wildlife conservation.
Water
Mississippi River Delta
Audubon’s policy team and grassroots activists are instrumental in gaining national support for ongoing recovery work in the delta
Coasts
Coastal Stewardship: Gulf
Restoring vital coastal wetlands for colonial and beach-nesting birds
Water
Great Lakes
Millions of birds depend on coastal habitats along the Great Lakes for shelter, rest, and nourishment for their long journeys during migration.
