Listed Species in Calhoun
County | ||||
Species | Federal Status | State Status | Habitat | Threats |
Bird | ||||
Red-cockaded
woodpecker Picoides borealis | E | E | Nest in mature pine with low understory vegetation (<1.5m); forage in pine and pine hardwood stands > 30 years of age, preferably > 10" dbh | Reduction of older age pine stands and to encroachment of hardwood midstory in older age pine stands due to fire suppression |
Wood
stork Mycteria americana | E | E | Primarily feed in fresh and brackish wetlands and nest in cypress or other wooded swamps | Decline 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 Status | T | Rivers, lakes, and large ponds near stream swamps. | Destruction and modification of habitat and overharvesting. |
Gopher
tortoise Gopherus polyphemus | No Federal Status | T | Well-drained, sandy soils in forest and grassy areas; associated with pine overstory, open understory with grass and forb groundcover, and sunny areas for nesting | Habitat 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 Status | T | Subterranean waters of upland limestone karst system; restricted to Dougherty Plain region of Georgia | |
Invertebrate | ||||
Gulf moccasinshell mussel Medionidus penicillatus | E | E | Medium 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 | E | E | Medium 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 Status | E | Oak 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 Status | T | Swamps 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 |
| E | Small seasonally wet ponds (limestone depression ponds and shallow cypress ponds) |