Merlin

Shallow ponds in Coastal Plain depressions, such as limesinks and the ponds in some Carolina bays, that rise and fall with the seasons.

Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Evergreen scrub oaks, sand pine and rosemary on deep, white, drought-prone sand ridges, burned rarely but intensely; distinct from the longleaf and turkey oak sandhills.

Marshes along tidal rivers where the water is fresh but rises and falls with the tide.

Tidal forests and thickets of red, black and white mangrove along sheltered tropical and subtropical shores.

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.