Take a Virtual Tour!

Take a Virtual Tour of Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge

There's nothing like experiencing this refuge in person, but take a sneak peek to give you a hint of what's in store for you here!

About the Complex

Mattamuskeet, Swanquarter, Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Mattamuskeet, Cedar Island, and Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuges are managed as the Mattamuskeet Complex.

Swanquarter is managed as part of the Mattamuskeet, Swanquarter, Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

About the NWRS

National Wildlife Refuge System

The National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages a national network of lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife, and plants.

Featured Wildlife

• What's the News??

  Keep up with recent news reelases from national wildlife refuges in eastern North Carolina

  News Releases

• American Black Duck

  

  American black ducks migrate to Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge in the fall from their breeding grounds in eastern Canada. They arrive in October and remain until February. They reside in the moist soil units and marshes on the refuge and in the Bay and River surrounding the refuge.

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• Bufflehead

  

  Buffleheads are diving ducks that reside on the Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge during the fall and winter. They use shallow, sheltered coves, harbors, estuaries, or beaches. Buffleheads dive for aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, and mollusks. They typically swallow their food while still underwater.

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• Forster's Tern

  

  Forster’s Terns reside on Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge in the fall and winter. They occupy the refuge’s brackish marshes, water bodies within the marshes, and the shorelines of the sound. They eat small fish, shrimp, and crabs.

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