Listed Species in Calhoun County
(updated May 2004)

SpeciesFederal StatusState StatusHabitatThreats
Bird 
Red-cockaded woodpecker

Picoides borealis
EENest in mature pine with low understory vegetation (<1.5m); forage in pine and pine hardwood stands > 30 years of age, preferably > 10" dbhReduction of older age pine stands and to encroachment of hardwood midstory in older age pine stands due to fire suppression
Wood stork 

Mycteria americana
EEPrimarily feed in fresh and brackish wetlands and nest in cypress or other wooded swampsDecline due primarily to loss of suitable feeding habitat, particularly in south Florida. Other factors include loss of nesting habitat, prolonged drought/flooding, raccoon predation on nests, and human disturbance of rookeries.
Reptile 
Alligator snapping turtle

Macroclemys temminckii
No Federal StatusTRivers, lakes, and large ponds near stream swamps.Destruction and modification of habitat and overharvesting.
Gopher tortoise

Gopherus polyphemus

No Federal StatusTWell-drained, sandy soils in forest and grassy areas; associated with pine overstory, open understory with grass and forb groundcover, and sunny areas for nestingHabitat loss and conversion to closed canopy forests. Other threats include mortality on highways and the collection of tortoises for pets.
Amphibian 
Georgia blind salamander

Haideotriton wallacei
No Federal StatusTSubterranean waters of upland limestone karst system; restricted to Dougherty Plain region of Georgia  
Invertebrate 
Gulf moccasinshell mussel

Medionidus penicillatus

EEMedium streams to large rivers with slight to moderate current over sand and gravel substrates; may be associated with muddy sand substrates around tree roots Habitat modification, sedimentation, and water quality degradation
Shiny-rayed pocketbook mussel

Lampsilis subangulata

EEMedium creeks to the mainstems of rivers with slow to moderate currents over sandy substrates and associated with rock or clay Habitat modification, sedimentation, and water quality degradation
Plant 
Buckthorn

Sideroxylon  thornei
No Federal StatusEOak flatwoods where soil normally is saturated for long periods after floods/heavy rain (i.e., calcareous swamps; woods bordering cypress ponds)  
Curtiss loosestrife

Lythrum curtissii
No Federal StatusTSwamps over limestone, boggy open areas in pinelands, shallow water of wet thickets and floodplains, and occasionally in openings along right-of-ways  
Hirst's panic grass

Panicum hirstii


Candidate
Species

ESmall seasonally wet ponds (limestone depression ponds and shallow cypress ponds)