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Excerpts from Mississippi's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) applicable to Private Landowners. |
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QUICK LINKS TO SECTIONS OF THIS DOCUMENT: Introduction Mississippi's CWCS Ecoregions Mississippi's Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) INTRODUCTION Mississippi's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) is part of a national collaborative effort among natural resource agencies, conservation organizations, corporations and private landowners to address habitat needs of declining wildlife species. These strategies mark the first time in U.S. history that state wildlife agencies and the broader conservation community have cooperated to design a conservation blueprint for all wildlife species. Since the early 1990s, the 3,000-member nationwide Teaming with Wildlife Coalition has worked to secure funding for state fish and wildlife agencies to take preventative actions, keeping rare species from becoming endangered and common species abundant. In 2001, Congress responded to this need by creating the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) program and from 2001 - 2005, over $300 million has been allocated to state wildlife agencies. In order to make the best use of the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) program, Congress charged each state and territory with developing a CWCS. Over a three year period, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) has coordinated this effort on behalf of the state of Mississippi to meet congressional requirements and to provide a "conservation blueprint" for agencies, organizations, industries, private landowners and academics across the state to advance sound management of all of our fish and wildlife resources in the future. The overarching goal of this planning effort is to provide a guide to effective and efficient long-term conservation of Mississippi's biological diversity. MISSISSIPPI'S CWCS ECOREGIONS What is an ecoregion? Ecoregions are commonly considered to be large areas distinguished from surrounding regions by differing biotic and environmental factors and/or ecological processes. Factors that are generally used to distinguish these large regions from one another include differences in climate, physical geography, soils, species or communities.  East Gulf Coastal Plain Ecoregion The East Gulf Coastal Plain (EGCP) ecoregion includes portions of five states (Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana) and over 42 million acres. It stretches from southwest Georgia across the Florida panhandle and west to southeastern Louisiana. The ecoregion has a diversity of ecological systems, ranging from sandhills and rolling longleaf pine-dominated uplands to pine flatwoods and savannas, seepage bogs and bottomland hardwood forests. The meager topographic and soil diversity of the EGCP suggests an area of low biodiversity and endemism, yet the ecoregion is one of the biologically richest in North America. Many species, particularly vascular plants, reptiles, amphibians and fishes occur only in this ecoregion and many of those are even more narrowly limited within the ecoregion. This ecoregion is physically characterized by subtle topography, a warm to hot, humid maritime climate, and soils derived primarily from unconsolidated sands, silts and clays transported to the ecoregion by the weathering of the Appalachian Mountains. Other features include a high percentage of land area in wetlands, a dominant role of frequent fire over the majority of the landscape, a diversity of river and stream systems, limited but important karst areas, and significant large scale disturbance events such as hurricanes. This ecoregion experiences high species richness, species endemism and community diversity in terrestrial, freshwater and aquatic systems. Part of the reason for this is that the ecoregion has never been glaciated, and has been continuously occupied by plants and animals since the Cretaceous period, giving ample time for the evolution of narrow endemic species. The dominant ecological drivers of the terrestrial systems are soils (texture and chemistry), fire frequency and hydrology. While habitats in the EGCP include barrier island systems with annualdominated beaches, maritime grasslands and scrub, maritime shrub hammocks, and evergreen forests (both broadleaf and needleleaf) these habitats have been classified as part of the Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecoregion (NGM) for the purpose of this CWCS. Inland, longleaf pine woodlands are dominant over most of the landscape, on upland and wetland sites and a wide variety of soils. These pinelands (sandhills, clayhills, flatwoods and savannas) support a tremendous diversity of plant and animal species: most of them unique to these systems. Embedded in these pinelands, specialized patch communities such as seepage bogs, treeless "savannas" and "prairies", and seasonally flooded depression ponds provide rich habitat for plants, amphibians, and invertebrates. Imperiled plant species are concentrated in fire-maintained pinelands (wetland and upland) and associated seepage bogs. While many imperiled animal species also occur in these communities, there are also significant concentrations in aquatic and bottomland systems. The freshwater aquatic systems of the EGCP are among the most significant and at-risk aquatic biodiversity resources in North America, particularly for fish and mussel species. Each of these groups has unique biodiversity resources. Many aquatic animals are endemic to the ecoregion, and many are restricted to a single river system and its tributaries. Thus, conservation of aquatic biodiversity in the EGCP requires conservation of most of the river systems. In addition, the EGCP supports a range of bottomland hardwood forests and cypress-gum swamps, as well as many lakes and natural ponds. What is the current status of EGCP biodiversity? The pineland ecosystem (consisting of fire-maintained longleaf pine and slash pine woodlands and their associated seepage bogs and depression wetlands) once dominated a string of ecoregions from southeastern Virginia to eastern Texas. This system has now been reduced to less than five percent of its former range, making it one of the most endangered landscapes in North America. Not only have these pineland ecosystems been directly reduced in extent, but remaining areas are also fragmented and many suffer from the exclusion of fire, a critical ecological process for their maintenance and health. Aquatic systems have been severely affected by hydrologic alterations, pollution and introduction of non-native species. Most of the hundreds of species endemic to the ecoregion, many of which were never common, have been further imperiled by these changes. The following habitat types described in Chapter IV of this CWCS can be found in the EGCP ecoregion:
Mississippi River Alluvial Plain Ecoregion The Mississippi River Alluvial Plain (MSRAP) is a 23,968,700 acre ecoregion that includes several uplands and most of the Atchafalaya Basin, but excludes the Red and Ouachita River Alluvial Plains and coastal areas south of the forested portions of the Atchafalaya Basin. Its most defining feature is the Mississippi River which flows south over the Mississippi Embayment, a structural trough in the earth's crust that, over the past 100 to 200 million years, has thrust alternately upward and downward relative to the sea. MSRAP is a geologically complex area, with Coastal Plain sediments having been deposited by a retreating Gulf of Mexico during the Tertiary Period of the Cenozoic Era. The melting of the glaciers during the Pleistocene forced the upper Midwest and the current Ohio River Basin to drain southward and, over time, form the modern-day Mississippi River. Retreating glaciers left behind glacial outwash that, through time, was reworked by the energy of the river and overlaid by deep alluvium deposited through annual overbank flooding. Several distinct landforms in MSRAP represent an accumulation of coarse, glacial sediments that have not been fully subjected to the erosional forces of big river systems, and thus remain tens of feet above floodplain elevations. Crowley's Ridge in Arkansas is hundreds of feet above the floodplain and is comprised of Tertiary deposits. Well-drained, highly-erodable, windblown deposits (loess) originating from glacial outwash are characteristic of these landforms. Upland pine hardwood plant communities and, in areas of clay-pan formation, prairie communities, characterize these upland areas. The bottomland hardwood forest is by far the dominant natural plant component of MSRAP. It is maintained by regular back- and headwater flood events and localized ponding on poorly drained soils. Headwater or mainstem flooding results from rainstorms over the watersheds of the Mississippi's tributaries, and produces the great spring floods characteristic of MSRAP. Backwater flooding is a phenomenon in which high water stages on the Mississippi River create a damming effect, preventing tributary drainage into the mainstem and at times reversing tributary flow upstream. As a result, longduration flooding accompanied by sediment and nutrient deposition occurs throughout the associated tributary watersheds. Concomitant to these flooding mechanisms are the hydrogeomorphic processes associated with meandering river systems. The high energy inherent in the Mississippi River and its tributaries once sculpted the landscape, producing a surface geomorphology comprised of natural levees, meander scar (oxbow) lakes, point bars and ridge and swale topography. Site conditions within MSRAP range from permanently flooded areas supporting only emergent or floating aquatic vegetation to high elevation sites that support climax hardwood forests. The distribution of bottomland hardwood communities within the floodplains of the Mississippi River and its tributaries is determined by timing, frequency and duration of flooding. Elevational differences of only a few inches result in great differences in soil saturation characteristics and thus the species of plants that grow there. As a result, much variability exists within a bottomland hardwood ecosystem, ranging from the bald cypress/tupelo swamp community that develops on frequently inundated sites with permanently saturated soils, to the cherrybark oak/pecan community found on the sites subjected to temporary flooding. Between these rather distinct community types are the more transitional, less distinguishable overcup oak/water hickory, elm/ash/hackberry and sweetgum/red oak communities. In time, and in response to sediment texture, deposition rates and quantities, plant communities characteristic of MSRAP undergo ecological succession from pioneer communities dominated by black willow or cottonwood (depending on soil drainage characteristics) to red oak and finally white oak dominated climax community. But other disturbances also influence plant community distribution. Both human- and naturally-induced disturbances, such as ice storms, hurricanes, beaver activity, hydrologic alteration and silvicultural practices, greatly influence the rate and direction of succession. There is emerging thought that the dynamic nature of this water- and sediment-driven system, coupled with frequent disturbance, historically precluded, in most cases, the development or long-term viability of a closed canopy of senescent trees, or a community commonly thought of as old-growth. The presettlement forests of MSRAP were likely a shifting mosaic of even-aged small patches of all-ages, further defined by minute differences in elevation and tolerances among a large number of woody plants. The diversity of forests and other habitat characterizing the historic landscape provided an extraordinary habitat for a range of species utilizing MSRAP. River floodplain systems are highly productive and provide exceptional habitat for a variety of vertebrates including foraging and spawning fish, amphibians and reptiles. Over 240 fish species, 45 species of reptiles and amphibians and 37 species of mussels depend on the river and floodplain system of MSRAP. In addition, 50 species of mammals and approximately 60 percent of all bird species in the contiguous United States currently utilize the Mississippi River and its tributaries and/or their associated floodplains. The following habitat types described in Chapter IV of this CWCS can be found in the MSRAP ecoregion:
Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecoregion The Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGM) ecoregion extends from Anclote Keys, Florida to the southern extent of the Laguna Madre de Temaulipas in Mexico. It is a rich and productive subtropical system that supports some of the most extensive wetland and seagrass habitats in the world. Much of the nearshore waters of the Gulf are divided into bay and estuarine systems behind barrier islands, which form a ring of sites around the NGM. For the purposes of this CWCS habitats including barrier island systems with annual-dominated beaches, maritime grasslands and scrub, maritime forests have been classified as part of the NGM ecoregion. These grade through salt marshes to productive estuaries. In Mississippi, the NGN borders the EGCP and is completely coincident with it. TNC has divided the ecoregion into three broad subregions for planning purposes. Mississippi falls within the Central Gulf of Mexico region which runs from Galveston Bay, Texas to Mobile Bay, Alabama. This region is characterized by extremely high levels of riverine input. Freshwater and sediments from the Mississippi River and to a lesser extent freshwater entering through Mobile Bay determine the characteristics of nearshore waters in this region. Coastal waters are generally variable in salinity, and water clarity is low because of the sediment load. Bottom sediments tend to be fine clays and muds. These conditions are ideal for the growth of marshes and oyster reefs. The drainage basin for the Gulf extends from the Appalachians to the Rockies. It contains nearly 60 percent of the land area of the continental United States, including some the most fertile lands in the world. This productive drainage makes the Gulf one of the primary producers of finfish and shellfish in the United States. However, because much of this land is in agricultural use, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides threaten the productivity of the Gulf. The NGM is a productive environment. In 1997, the estimated commercial value of the finfish and shellfish harvest was $823 million. The Gulf is ranked as the top region in the country for seafood harvest in both poundage and monetary value. Much of the productivity of this region is believed to have its origins in the productivity of the nearshore marshes and seagrasses, because these habitats serve as nurseries for juveniles, and/or simply because they are the source of vast amounts of carbon and nutrients. Estuarine, seagrass and marsh environments, which are in abundance in the NGM, are estimated to be ten times more valuable to humans than any terrestrial habitat for ecosystem services like food production, recreation and nutrient cycling. The following habitat types described in Chapter IV of this CWCS can be found in the NGM ecoregion:
Upper East Gulf Plain Ecoregion The Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain (UEGCP) ecoregion encompasses 33,861,051 acres. This large ecoregion ranges from southern Illinois, western Kentucky and Tennessee, throughout much of Mississippi, east to Alabama and a limited area of Georgia and southeastern Louisiana. The region is bounded on the west by the MSRAP and on the north by the Ohio River, and Tennessee River. The eastern margin occurs at the contact point with older rocks of the Piedmont and Southern Ridge and Valley. This region has rugged terrain and hilly topography In addition, the southern boundary approximates the range limits of major potential natural vegetation types oak-hickory-pine to the north, and southern mixed hardwood forests to the south. Coastal and fluvial processes have considerably reworked the land surface of the region. Approximately 70 million years ago, the area would have been around 4,000 foot elevation. However, the earth's crust sagged forming the Mississippi Embayment. During the Tertiary and Cretaceous periods the Embayment trough was repeatedly invaded by shallow seas leaving behind hundreds of meters of sediments that occupy broad bands approximately paralleling the Gulf of Mexico. The result is a region of belted character, in the form of inner lowlands and cuestas and other low-ridge landforms. The upper Mississippi Embayment is underlain by an ancient, buried rift zone. This buried rift has acted as a "zone of weakness" in the continental crust and serves to localize earthquake activity in the central United States. There have been many large magnitude earthquakes and abundant seismic activity in the region. The New Madrid earthquake (1811-1812) was among the strongest earthquakes in recorded United States history, resulting in up to nine feet of land subsidence in the upper part of the region. Further south, the geologic structure of the region has been affected by the presence of underground salt in the form of salt plugs, domes, and basins. The Mississippi Interior Salt Basin, which extends into this region, has extensive hydrocarbon reserves that are still largely undeveloped. Throughout the region, soils are generally acidic with appreciable amounts of clay present. Ultisols, deeply leached and low in nutrients, are the dominant soil order. Alfisols, less weathered and greater in fertility, are present in more limited areas, especially associated with loess deposits (a unique type of windblown silt). Large quantities of loess were probably carried by wind from exposed sediments of the Mississippi River floodplain and deposited on adjacent uplands during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Loess eventually covered much of the underlying topography under a thick blanket deepest along the western edge and thinning abruptly eastward. Vertisols (soils with shrink-swell properties due, in part, to especially high clay content) are uncommon in the southeastern coastal plain but are present in limited areas of the Black Belt where they were derived from marl and chalk residues. The UEGCP overlaps several distinctive aquatic ecoregions. The majority of this region has been considered a priority for freshwater species conservation due to the richness of the fauna present. For example, rivers in this region provide habitat for over 206 native fish species. The region also supports relatively large numbers of crayfish and mussel species despite heavily disturbed conditions in many areas that have likely reduced faunal diversity. The bulk of the regions' rivers, especially the Mississippi tributaries, have been channelized and/or subjected to headcutting and heavy sedimentation. The region includes a diverse assemblage of streams that vary in size, origin, and geology. Particularly noteworthy rivers of this region include the Hatchie, the longest free flowing tributary in the lower Mississippi River valley and tributaries of the Pascagoula, America's longest unencumbered river. The potential natural vegetation of the UEGCP may be characterized as broad bands of different composition that roughly parallel the coast. From south to north these include southern mixed forests, oak-hickory-pine forests, and oak-hickory forests, interrupted by occasional southern floodplain forests and black belt prairies. Southern mixed forests and oak-hickory-pine forests, the two predominant types in terms of area occupied, are recognized by the presence of longleaf pine and shortleaf pine. Although longleaf forests and woodlands were the dominant vegetation type of the southeastern United States coastal plain, they occur in only limited areas of this region, extending landward into the UEGCP by only about 50 miles. Northward, longleaf pine is replaced by shortleaf pine. Bluffs along the eastern edge of the Mississippi River, such as those around Vicksburg, are covered with up to 200 feet of loess. A number of factors account for the development and maintenance of precipitous cliffs and ravines where loess is deepest. The vegetation of these loess bluffs is often richer than surrounding areas due to the fertile topsoil and abundant moisture. In many cases, the bluffs provide habitat for plant species that are rare or absent from other parts of the Coastal Plain. In addition, the bluffs constituted a major refugium for mesophytic plant species, now generally more common to the north, during the last glaciation. Blackland Prairies occur in two discrete areas of the ecoregion: the Jackson Prairie and the Black Belt (see Northeast Prairie subtype in this CWCS). These areas are among the distinct topographic regions in the state of Mississippi. At their closest point, 65 miles separate the formations supporting the two prairie types. The Black Belt is the larger of the two regions, stretching approximately 300 miles across Mississippi and into adjacent parts of central Alabama. This region, generally 25-30 miles wide, derives its name from the nearly black, rich topsoil that developed over Selma Chalk. Both areas have typically calcareous soils and were formerly occupied by natural grasslands and associated vegetation. The broad forest cover composition also differs between parts of the region. While the percentage of total area occupied by deciduous forests is relatively evenly distributed across the region, mixed and evergreen forests (each generally including a component of pine species) are much less common overall in both the Black Belt and the North Unit (North of the Mississippi-Tennessee state line). The reasons for this pattern are most obvious in the case of the North Unit, most of which lies outside the natural range of the southern pine species (loblolly, shortleaf, longleaf) commonly encountered this ecoregion. The lack of evergreen forests in the Black Belt is more complex, but is likely due to the poor suitability of the predominantly calcareous soils for pine growth. The composition of the ecoregion's forests is also changing. Vast acreages of the region are being converted to pine plantations, in many cases at the expense of either existing deciduous or mixed forests, constituting one of the most consequential forestry developments in the region in the last four decades. The following habitat types described in Chapter IV of this CWCS can be found in the UEGCP ecoregion:
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State of the farmland state.PDF| Group Name | Scientific Name | Common Name | Tier | EcoRgn Habitat | Fed Status | State Status | State Rank |
| Amphibians | Amphiuma pholeter | One-Toed Amphiuma | 1 | A | LE | S1 | |
| Amphibians | Cryptobranchus alleganiensis | Hellbender | 1 | D | (PS) | S1 | |
| Amphibians | Rana heckscheri | River Frog | 1 | A | S1 | ||
| Amphibians | Rana sevosa | Mississippi Gopher Frog | 1 | A | LE | LE | S1 |
| Amphibians | Aneides aeneus | Green Salamander | 2 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Amphibians | Eurycea lucifuga | Cave Salamander | 2 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Amphibians | Gyrinophilus porphyriticus | Spring Salamander | 2 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Amphibians | Hemidactylium scutatum | Four-Toed Salamander | 2 | AD | S1S2 | ||
| Amphibians | Plethodon ventralis | Southern Zigzag Salamander | 2 | D | S2 | ||
| Amphibians | Plethodon websteri | Webster's Salamander | 2 | D | S3 | ||
| Amphibians | Pseudacris ornata | Ornate Chorus Frog | 2 | A | S1S2 | ||
| Amphibians | Pseudotriton montanus | Mud Salamander | 2 | A | S2S3 | ||
| Amphibians | Rana areolata | Crawfish Frog | 2 | D | S3 | ||
| Amphibians | Bufo nebulifer | Gulf Coast Toad | 3 | ABCD | S3 | ||
| Amphibians | Pseudacris brachyphona | Mountain Chorus Frog | 3 | D | S3 | ||
| Amphibians | Pseudotriton ruber | Red Salamander | 3 | AD | S3 | ||
| Amphibians | Ambystoma tigrinum | Tiger Salamander | 4 | D | (PS) | SH | |
| Amphibians | Plethodon ainsworthi | Baysprings Salamander | 4 | A | SX | ||
| Group Name | Scientific Name | Common Name | Tier | EcoRgn Habitat | Fed Status | State Status | State Rank |
| Birds | Charadrius alexandrinus tenuirostris | Southeastern Snowy Plover | 1 | AC | LE | S2 | |
| Birds | Charadrius wilsonia | Wilson's Plover | 1 | AC | S1 | ||
| Birds | Coturnicops noveboracensis | Yellow Rail | 1 | ACD | S2N | ||
| Birds | Falco sparverius paulus | Southeastern American Kestrel | 1 | A | S3B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Grus canadensis pulla | Mississippi Sandhill Crane | 1 | A | LE | LE | S1 |
| Birds | Haematopus palliatus | American Oystercatcher | 1 | AC | S1 | ||
| Birds | Laterallus jamaicensis | Black Rail | 1 | ACD | S2N | ||
| Birds | Thryomanes bewickii | Bewick's Wren | 1 | ABD | LE | S2B, S3N | |
| Birds | Aimophila aestivalis | Bachman's Sparrow | 2 | AD | S3B, S3S4N | ||
| Birds | Ammodramus henslowii | Henslow's Sparrow | 2 | A | S3N | ||
| Birds | Ammodramus leconteii | Le Conte's Sparrow | 2 | ABD | S3N | ||
| Birds | Ammodramus maritimus | Seaside Sparrow | 2 | AC | (PS) | S3 | |
| Birds | Ammodramus nelsoni | Nelson's Sharp-Tailed Sparrow | 2 | AC | S3N | ||
| Birds | Ammodramus savannarum | Grasshopper Sparrow | 2 | ABD | (PS) | S3B, S3N | |
| Birds | Anas fulvigula | Mottled Duck | 2 | AC | S2B, S4N | ||
| Birds | Asio flammeus | Short-Eared Owl | 2 | ABCD | S3N | ||
| Birds | Calidris canutus | Red Knot | 2 | AC | S2N | ||
| Birds | Charadrius melodus | Piping Plover | 2 | ABCD | LE,LT | LE | S2N |
| Birds | Columbina passerina | Common Ground-Dove | 2 | ABD | S1S2 | ||
| Birds | Dendroica cerulea | Cerulean Warbler | 2 | ACD | S2B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Egretta caerulea | Little Blue Heron | 2 | ABCD | S2B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Egretta rufescens | Reddish Egret | 2 | AC | S2N | ||
| Birds | Elanoides forficatus | Swallow-Tailed Kite | 2 | ABD | S2B | ||
| Birds | Eudocimus albus | White Ibis | 2 | ABCD | S2B, S3N | ||
| Birds | Euphagus carolinus | Rusty Blackbird | 2 | ABD | S2 | ||
| Birds | Haliaeetus leucocephalus | Bald Eagle | 2 | ABCD | PS:LT | LE | S2B, S2N |
| Birds | Limnothlypis swainsonii | Swainson's Warbler | 2 | ABCD | S3S4N, SZB | ||
| Birds | Limosa fedoa | Marbled Godwit | 2 | AC | S2N | ||
| Birds | Mycteria americana | Wood Stork | 2 | ABD | PS:LE | LE | S2N |
| Birds | Passerina ciris | Painted Bunting | 2 | ABCD | S3S4B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Pelecanus occidentalis | Brown Pelican | 2 | AC | PS:LE | LE | S1N |
| Birds | Picoides borealis | Red-Cockaded Woodpecker | 2 | AD | LE | LE | S1 |
| Birds | Rallus elegans | King Rail | 2 | ABCD | S3 | ||
| Birds | Rynchops niger | Black Skimmer | 2 | ACD | S2B, S3N | ||
| Birds | Sterna antillarum | Least Tern | 2 | ACD | PS:LE | S3B, S3N | |
| Birds | Sterna antillarum athalassos | Interior Least Tern | 2 | B | PS:LE | LE | S2B |
| Birds | Sterna maxima | Royal Tern | 2 | AC | S1B, S4N | ||
| Birds | Sterna nilotica | Gull-Billed Tern | 2 | ACD | S1B, S3S4N | ||
| Birds | Sterna sandvicensis | Sandwich Tern | 2 | AC | S1B, S4N | ||
| Birds | Anas acuta | Northern Pintail | 3 | ABCD | S4N | ||
| Birds | Anas rubripes | American Black Duck | 3 | ABCD | S2N | ||
| Birds | Anhinga anhinga | Anhinga | 3 | ABD | S3B, S1N | ||
| Birds | Aythya affinis | Lesser Scaup | 3 | ABCD | S4N | ||
| Birds | Botaurus lentiginosus | American Bittern | 3 | ABCD | S3N | ||
| Birds | Calidris alpina | Dunlin | 3 | ABCD | S4N | ||
| Birds | Calidris mauri | Western Sandpiper | 3 | ABCD | S4N | ||
| Birds | Caprimulgus carolinensis | Chuck-Will's-Widow | 3 | ABCD | S4B | ||
| Birds | Colinus virginianus | Northern Bobwhite | 3 | ABD | (PS) | S3S4 | |
| Birds | Dendroica discolor | Prairie Warbler | 3 | ABCD | S5B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Egretta thula | Snowy Egret | 3 | ABCD | S4B, S1N | ||
| Birds | Egretta tricolor | Tricolored Heron | 3 | ABCD | S2B, S1N | ||
| Birds | Helmitheros vermivorus | Worm-Eating Warbler | 3 | ABCD | S3B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Hylocichla mustelina | Wood Thrush | 3 | ABCD | S5B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Ixobrychus exilis | Least Bittern | 3 | ABCD | S3B | ||
| Birds | Lanius ludovicianus | Loggerhead Shrike | 3 | ABD | S4 | ||
| Birds | Melanerpes erythrocephalus | Red-Headed Woodpecker | 3 | ABD | S4S5 | ||
| Birds | Nycticorax nycticorax | Black-Crowned Night-Heron | 3 | ABCD | S3B, S4N | ||
| Birds | Nycticorax violaceus | Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron | 3 | ABCD | S3B, S1N | ||
| Birds | Oporornis formosus | Kentucky Warbler | 3 | ABCD | S5B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Pandion haliaetus | Osprey | 3 | ABCD | S3B, | ||
| Birds | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | American White Pelican | 3 | ABCD | S3N | ||
| Birds | Piranga olivacea | Scarlet Tanager | 3 | ABCD | S2?B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Porphyrula martinica | Purple Gallinule | 3 | ABCD | S3B | ||
| Birds | Protonotaria citrea | Prothonotary Warbler | 3 | ABCD | S5B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Scolopax minor | American Woodcock | 3 | ABCD | S? | ||
| Birds | Seiurus motacilla | Louisiana Waterthrush | 3 | ABCD | S3B, SZN | ||
| Birds | Sitta pusilla | Brown-Headed Nuthatch | 3 | ABD | S4B | ||
| Birds | Tyto alba | Common Barn-Owl | 3 | ABD | S3 | ||
| Birds | Campephilus principalis | Ivory-Billed Woodpecker | 4 | ABD | LE | LE | SX |
| Birds | Vermivora bachmanii | Bachman's Warbler | 4 | AC | LE | LE | SXB |
| Group Name | Scientific Name | Common Name | Tier | EcoRgn Habitat | Fed Status | State Status | State Rank |
| Crustaceans | Fallicambarus burrisi | Burris' Burrowing Crawfish | 1 | A | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Fallicambarus danielae | Speckled Burrowing Crayfish | 1 | A | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Fallicambarus gordoni | Camp Shelby Burrowing Crawfish | 1 | A | C | LE | S1 |
| Crustaceans | Hobbseus attenuatus | Pearl Rivulet Crayfish | 1 | D | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Hobbseus cristatus | A Crayfish | 1 | D | S2? | ||
| Crustaceans | Hobbseus orconectoides | Oktibbeha Rivulet Crayfish | 1 | D | S1 | ||
| Crustaceans | Hobbseus petilus | Tombigbee Rivulet Crayfish | 1 | D | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Hobbseus valleculus | Choctaw Rivulet Crayfish | 1 | D | S1 | ||
| Crustaceans | Hobbseus yalobushensis | A Crayfish | 1 | D | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Orconectes hartfieldi | A Crayfish | 1 | A | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Orconectes mississippiensis | A Crayfish | 1 | D | S2S3 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus barbiger | Jackson Prairie Crayfish | 1 | AD | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus cometes | Mississippi Flatwoods Crayfish | 1 | D | S1 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus connus | Carrollton Crayfish | 1 | D | S1 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus fitzpatricki | Spiny-Tailed Crayfish | 1 | A | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus lagniappe | Lagniappe Crayfish | 1 | D | S1 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus lylei | Shutispear Crayfish | 1 | D | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus pogum | Bearded Red Crayfish | 1 | D | S1 | ||
| Crustaceans | Cambarellus diminutus | Least Crayfish | 2 | A | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Cambarellus lesliei | A Crayfish | 2 | A | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Cambarus latimanus | A Crayfish | 2 | D | S1? | ||
| Crustaceans | Fallicambarus byersi | Lavender Burrowing Crayfish | 2 | A | S3 | ||
| Crustaceans | Hobbseus prominens | A Crayfish | 2 | D | S2? | ||
| Crustaceans | Orconectes etnieri | A Crayfish | 2 | D | S3? | ||
| Crustaceans | Orconectes jonesi | A Crayfish | 2 | A | S3 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus ablusus | A Crayfish | 2 | D | S3 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus bivittatus | Ribbon Crayfish | 2 | A | S3 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus elegans | A Crayfish | 2 | D | S3? | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus hagenianus vesticeps | A Crayfish | 2 | D | S3S4 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus lecontei | Mobile Crayfish | 2 | A | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus penni | Pearl Blackwater Crayfish | 2 | A | S3 | ||
| Crustaceans | Cambarus girardianus | A Crayfish | 3 | D | S2 | ||
| Crustaceans | Orconectes validus | A Crayfish | 3 | D | S1 | ||
| Crustaceans | Procambarus shermani | A Crayfish | 3 | A | S? | ||
| Group Name | Scientific Name | Common Name | Tier | EcoRgn Habitat | Fed Status | State Status | State Rank |
| Fish | Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi | Gulf Sturgeon | 1 | ACD | LT | LE | S1 |
| Fish | Alosa alabamae | Alabama Shad | 1 | ACD | C | S1 | |
| Fish | Crystallaria asprella | Crystal Darter | 1 | AD | LE | S1 | |
| Fish | Etheostoma raneyi | Yazoo Darter | 1 | D | S2 | ||
| Fish | Etheostoma rubrum | Bayou Darter | 1 | A | LT | LE | S1 |
| Fish | Etheostoma zonifer | Backwater Darter | 1 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Notropis chalybaeus | Ironcolor Shiner | 1 | AB | LE | S1 | |
| Fish | Notropis melanostomus | Blackmouth Shiner | 1 | AD | S1S2 | ||
| Fish | Noturus gladiator | Piebald Madtom | 1 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Fish | Noturus munitus | Frecklebelly Madtom | 1 | AD | LE | S2 | |
| Fish | Percina aurora | Pearl Darter | 1 | AD | C | LE | S1 |
| Fish | Percina lenticula | Freckled Darter | 1 | AD | S2 | ||
| Fish | Scaphirhynchus albus | Pallid Sturgeon | 1 | B | LE | LE | S1 |
| Fish | Scaphirhynchus suttkusi | Alabama Sturgeon | 1 | D | LE | LE | S1 |
| Fish | Ammocrypta meridiana | Southern Sand Darter | 2 | D | S3 | ||
| Fish | Cottus carolinae | Banded Sculpin | 2 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Cycleptus elongatus | Blue Sucker | 2 | ABD | S3 | ||
| Fish | Cycleptus meridionalis | Southeastern Blue Sucker | 2 | AD | S3 | ||
| Fish | Cyprinella callistia | Alabama Shiner | 2 | D | S2 | ||
| Fish | Cyprinella galactura | Whitetail Shiner | 2 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Cyprinella whipplei | Steelcolor Shiner | 2 | A | S3 | ||
| Fish | Etheostoma blennioides | Greenside Darter | 2 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Fish | Etheostoma duryi | Black Darter | 2 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Etheostoma kennicotti | Stripetail Darter | 2 | D | S2 | ||
| Fish | Etheostoma lachneri | Tombigbee Darter | 2 | D | S3 | ||
| Fish | Etheostoma nigripinne | Blackfin Darter | 2 | D | S2 | ||
| Fish | Etheostoma zonistium | Bandfin Darter | 2 | D | S2 | ||
| Fish | Fundulus dispar | Northern Starhead Topminnow | 2 | ABCD | S3 | ||
| Fish | Fundulus euryzonus | Broadstripe Topminnow | 2 | A | S2 | ||
| Fish | Fundulus jenkinsi | Saltmarsh Topminnow | 2 | AC | C | S3 | |
| Fish | Ichthyomyzon castaneus | Chestnut Lamprey | 2 | ABD | S2S3 | ||
| Fish | Morone saxatilis | Striped Bass | 2 | ABCD | S1 | ||
| Fish | Moxostoma anisurum | Silver Redhorse | 2 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Moxostoma carinatum | River Redhorse | 2 | AD | S3 | ||
| Fish | Moxostoma duquesnei | Black Redhorse | 2 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Moxostoma macrolepidotum | Shorthead Redhorse | 2 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Notropis amnis | Pallid Shiner | 2 | D | S3 | ||
| Fish | Notropis boops | Bigeye Shiner | 2 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Fish | Notropis candidus | Silverside Shiner | 2 | D | S2 | ||
| Fish | Notropis edwardraneyi | Fluvial Shiner | 2 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Notropis micropteryx | Rosyface Shiner | 2 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Noturus flavus | Stonecat | 2 | B | S1 | ||
| Fish | Percina evides | Gilt Darter | 2 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Percina phoxocephala | Slenderhead Darter | 2 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Fish | Phenacobius mirabilis | Suckermouth Minnow | 2 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Fish | Phoxinus erythrogaster | Southern Redbelly Dace | 2 | BD | LE | S2 | |
| Fish | Pteronotropis welaka | Bluenose Shiner | 2 | A | S3 | ||
| Fish | Rhinichthys atratulus | Blacknose Dace | 2 | D | S1 | ||
| Fish | Stizostedion sp 1 | Southern Walleye | 2 | ABD | S1S2 | ||
| Fish | Atractosteus spatula | Alligator Gar | 3 | ABCD | S2 | ||
| Fish | Clinostomus funduloides | Rosyside Dace | 3 | D | S2 | ||
| Fish | Cyprinella spiloptera | Spotfin Shiner | 3 | D | S2 | ||
| Fish | Enneacanthus gloriosus | Bluespotted Sunfish | 3 | ACD | S3 | ||
| Fish | Etheostoma asprigene | Mud Darter | 3 | ABD | S3 | ||
| Fish | Etheostoma flabellare | Fantail Darter | 3 | D | S2 | ||
| Fish | Etheostoma rufilineatum | Redline Darter | 3 | D | S2 | ||
| Fish | Etheostoma rupestre | Rock Darter | 3 | D | S3 | ||
| Fish | Heterandria formosa | Least Killifish | 3 | AC | S3 | ||
| Fish | Hypentelium etowanum | Alabama Hog Sucker | 3 | D | S3 | ||
| Fish | Ictiobus niger | Black Buffalo | 3 | ABD | S3 | ||
| Fish | Lythrurus fasciolaris | Rosefin Shiner | 3 | D | S2S3 | ||
| Fish | Moxostoma erythrurum | Golden Redhorse | 3 | AD | S3 | ||
| Fish | Notropis sabinae | Sabine Shiner | 3 | D | S3 | ||
| Fish | Percina kathae | Mobile Logperch | 3 | D | S3 | ||
| Fish | Polyodon spathula | Paddlefish | 3 | ABD | S3 | ||
| Fish | Stizostedion canadense | Sauger | 3 | ABD | S3 | ||
| Fish | Stizostedion vitreum | Walleye | 3 | AD | S2? | ||
| Fish | Ambloplites rupestris | Rock Bass | 4 | D | SH | ||
| Fish | Ammocrypta clara | Western Sand Darter | 4 | D | SH | ||
| Fish | Leptolucania ommata | Pygmy Killifish | 4 | AC | SH | ||
| Fish | Macrhybopsis gelida | Sturgeon Chub | 4 | B | SH | ||
| Fish | Macrhybopsis meeki | Sicklefin Chub | 4 | B | SH | ||
| Fish | Noturus exilis | Slender Madtom | 4 | D | LE | SH | |
| Fish | Platygobio gracilis | Flathead Chub | 4 | B | SH | ||
| Group Name | Scientific Name | Common Name | Tier | EcoRgn Habitat | Fed Status | State Status | State Rank |
| Mammals | Myotis austroriparius | Southeastern Myotis | 1 | ABD | S1S2 | ||
| Mammals | Ursus americanus luteolus | Louisiana Black Bear | 1 | ABD | LT | LE | S1 |
| Mammals | Corynorhinus rafinesquii | Rafinesque's Big-Eared Bat | 2 | ABD | S3 | ||
| Mammals | Lasiurus cinereus | Hoary Bat | 2 | BD | (PS) | S3 | |
| Mammals | Lasiurus intermedius | Northern Yellow Bat | 2 | A | S2? | ||
| Mammals | Myotis grisescens | Gray Myotis | 2 | AD | LE | LE | S1 |
| Mammals | Myotis lucifugus | Little Brown Myotis | 2 | A | S3 | ||
| Mammals | Myotis septentrionalis | Northern Myotis | 2 | D | S2? | ||
| Mammals | Peromyscus polionotus | Oldfield Mouse | 2 | ABD | (PS) | S2S3 | |
| Mammals | Spilogale putorius | Eastern Spotted Skunk | 2 | D | S2? | ||
| Mammals | Trichechus manatus | Manatee | 2 | AC | LE | LE | SZ |
| Mammals | Ursus americanus | Black Bear | 2 | D | (PS) | LE | S1 |
| Mammals | Zapus hudsonius | Meadow Jumping Mouse | 2 | D | (PS) | S1 | |
| Mammals | Mustela frenata | Long-Tailed Weasel | 3 | AD | S? | ||
| Mammals | Lasionycteris noctivagans | Silver-Haired Bat | 4 | D | SA? | ||
| Mammals | Myotis sodalis | Indiana Or Social Myotis | 4 | D | LE | LE | SAN |
| Mammals | Puma concolor coryi | Florida Panther | 4 | ABD | LE | LE | SX |
| Group Name | Scientific Name | Common Name | Tier | EcoRgn Habitat | Fed Status | State Status | State Rank |
| Mussels | Actinonaias ligamentina | Mucket | 1 | B | LE | S1 | |
| Mussels | Cyclonaias tuberculata | Purple Wartyback | 1 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Mussels | Elliptio arca | Alabama Spike | 1 | AD | S1S2 | ||
| Mussels | Elliptio arctata | Delicate Spike | 1 | AD | LE | S1 | |
| Mussels | Elliptio dilatata | Spike | 1 | BD | LE | S1 | |
| Mussels | Epioblasma brevidens | Cumberlandian Combshell | 1 | D | LE,XN | LE | S1 |
| Mussels | Epioblasma penita | Southern Combshell | 1 | D | LE | LE | S1 |
| Mussels | Epioblasma triquetra | Snuffbox | 1 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Mussels | Fusconaia barnesiana | Tennessee Pigtoe | 1 | D | S1 | ||
| Mussels | Lampsilis hydiana | Louisiana Fatmucket | 1 | A | S2? | ||
| Mussels | Lampsilis perovalis | Orange-Nacre Mucket | 1 | D | LT | LE | S1 |
| Mussels | Lasmigona complanata alabamensis | Alabama Heelsplitter | 1 | D | S2 | ||
| Mussels | Lexingtonia dolabelloides | Slabside Pearlymussel | 1 | D | C | LE | S1 |
| Mussels | Ligumia recta | Black Sandshell | 1 | AD | S1 | ||
| Mussels | Medionidus acutissimus | Alabama Moccasinshell | 1 | D | LT | LE | S1 |
| Mussels | Obovaria jacksoniana | Southern Hickorynut | 1 | AD | S1 | ||
| Mussels | Obovaria unicolor | Alabama Hickorynut | 1 | AD | S1S2 | ||
| Mussels | Plethobasus cyphyus | Sheepnose | 1 | B | LE | S1 | |
| Mussels | Pleurobema decisum | Southern Clubshell | 1 | D | LE | LE | S1 |
| Mussels | Pleurobema perovatum | Ovate Clubshell | 1 | D | LE | LE | S1 |
| Mussels | Pleurobema rubrum | Pyramid Pigtoe | 1 | BD | LE | S1 | |
| Mussels | Potamilus capax | Fat Pocketbook | 1 | B | LE | LE | S1 |
| Mussels | Quadrula cylindrica cylindrica | Rabbitsfoot | 1 | BD | LE | S1 | |
| Mussels | Strophitus connasaugaensis | Alabama Creekmussel | 1 | D | S1 | ||
| Mussels | Anodontoides radiatus | Rayed Creekshell | 2 | A | S2 | ||
| Mussels | Arcidens confragosus | Rock Pocketbook | 2 | BD | S2S3 | ||
| Mussels | Ellipsaria lineolata | Butterfly | 2 | BD | S2S3 | ||
| Mussels | Lampsilis cardium | Plain Pocketbook | 2 | AD | S3 | ||
| Mussels | Lampsilis straminea straminea | Rough Fatmucket | 2 | D | S2 | ||
| Mussels | Pleurobema beadleianum | Mississippi Pigtoe | 2 | AD | S3? | ||
| Mussels | Quadrula nodulata | Wartyback | 2 | BD | S3 | ||
| Mussels | Quadrula rumphiana | Ridged Mapleleaf | 2 | D | S2 | ||
| Mussels | Strophitus subvexus | Southern Creekmussel | 2 | D | S2 | ||
| Mussels | Strophitus undulatus | Squawfoot | 2 | AD | S1 | ||
| Mussels | Uniomerus caroliniana | Florida Pondhorn | 2 | A | S2 | ||
| Mussels | Uniomerus declivis | Tapered Pondhorn | 2 | ABD | S2S3 | ||
| Mussels | Lampsilis siliquoidea | Fatmucket | 3 | B | S3 | ||
| Mussels | Lasmigona complanata complanata | White Heelsplitter | 3 | AD | S3 | ||
| Mussels | Potamilus alatus | Pink Heelsplitter | 3 | D | S2 | ||
| Mussels | Ptychobranchus fasciolaris | Kidneyshell | 3 | D | LE | S1 | |
| Mussels | Truncilla truncata | Deertoe | 3 | BD | S3 | ||
| Mussels | Cyprogenia aberti | Western Fanshell | 4 | B | SH | ||
| Mussels | Medionidus mcglameriae | Tombigbee Moccasinshell | 4 | D | SX | ||
| Mussels | Pleurobema curtum | Black Clubshell | 4 | D | LE | LE | SX |
| Mussels | Pleurobema marshalli | Flat Pigtoe | 4 | D | LE | LE | SX |
| Mussels | Pleurobema taitianum | Heavy Pigtoe | 4 | D | LE | LE | SX |
| Mussels | Potamilus inflatus | Inflated Heelsplitter | 4 | D | LT | LE | SH |
| Mussels | Quadrula metanevra | Monkeyface | 4 | D | LE | SH | |
| Mussels | Quadrula stapes | Stirrupshell | 4 | D | LE | LE | SX |
| Group Name | Scientific Name | Common Name | Tier | EcoRgn Habitat | Fed Status | State Status | State Rank |
| Reptiles | Lepidochelys kempii | Kemp's or Atlantic Ridley | 1 | AC | LE | LE | S1N |
| Reptiles | Ophisaurus mimicus | Mimic Glass Lizard | 1 | A | S1? | ||
| Reptiles | Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi | Black Pine Snake | 1 | A | C | LE | S2 |
| Reptiles | Pseudemys alabamensis | Alabama Redbelly Turtle | 1 | AC | LE | LE | S1 |
| Reptiles | Rhadinaea flavilata | Pine Woods Snake | 1 | AC | S2S3 | ||
| Reptiles | Caretta caretta | Loggerhead; Cabezon | 2 | AC | LT | LE | S1B, SZN |
| Reptiles | Crotalus adamanteus | Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake | 2 | A | S3S4 | ||
| Reptiles | Eumeces anthracinus pluvialis | Southern Coal Skink | 2 | AD | S2S3 | ||
| Reptiles | Farancia erytrogramma | Rainbow Snake | 2 | AD | LE | S2 | |
| Reptiles | G |