Habitat in North Carolina
Coastal dunes and beaches
Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them. Schafale
- Plants
- 132
- Birds
- 161

Plants
Plants that grow wild in this habitat in North Carolina. Not a planting list.
Most characteristic plants of this habitat 132
Natives first, plants found in fewer other habitats first.
- Maritime ThoroughwortEupatorium maritimum
- Beach Morning-gloryIpomoea imperati
- Railroad VineIpomoea brasiliensis
- Seabeach KnotweedPolygonum glaucum
- Northern BayberryMorella pensylvanica
- Seabeach AmaranthAmaranthus pumilus
- Northern Seaside SpurgeEuphorbia polygonifolia
- Southern Seaside SpurgeEuphorbia bombensis
- Mound-lily YuccaYucca gloriosa
- Northern Seabeach OrachAtriplex mucronata
- Dune Marsh-elderIva imbricata
- Dune BluecurlsTrichostema nesophilum
- Pinewoods FingergrassEustachys petraea
- Woolly Beach-heatherHudsonia tomentosa
- American SearocketCakile edentula
- Harper's SearocketCakile harperi
- Sea OatsUniola paniculata
- CranberryVaccinium macrocarpon
- Woody GoldenrodChrysoma pauciflosculosa
- Largeroot Morning-gloryIpomoea macrorhiza
- Seabeach Evening-primroseOenothera humifusa
- Saltwater False-willowBaccharis angustifolia
- CamphorweedHeterotheca subaxillaris
- Cottony Golden-asterChrysopsis gossypina
- Dune Ground-cherryPhysalis walteri
- Glowing NightshadeSolanum pseudogracile
- Little Prickly-pearOpuntia drummondii
- Upland RedbayTamala borbonia
- Earleaf GreenbrierSmilax auriculata
- Gulf CrotonCroton punctatus
- Dog-tongue BuckwheatEriogonum tomentosum
- Aloe YuccaYucca aloifolia
- Hercules-clubZanthoxylum clava-herculis
- Dune BluestemSchizachyrium littorale
- Gray's FlatsedgeCyperus grayi
- Ovateleaf FlatsedgeCyperus ovatus
- PoorjoeHexasepalum teres
- Common SaltwortSalsola kali
- Roundleaf BluetHoustonia procumbens
- Pinebarren FrostweedCrocanthemum corymbosum
- Long-awned SprangletopDiplachne maritima
- Perennial SandgrassTriplasis americana
- Purple SandgrassTriplasis purpurea
- Coastal JointweedPolygonella articulata
- Coastal Plain WillowSalix caroliniana
- Early Whitetop FleabaneErigeron vernus
- Florida ThoroughwortEupatorium anomalum
- Common WaxmyrtleMorella cerifera
Wildlife
Animals whose habitat model includes this habitat in North Carolina. Shared habitat, not food.
Most characteristic birds of this habitat 115
Ranked by how much of their habitat model this habitat is.
- DovekieAlle alle
- Horned LarkEremophila alpestris
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoa
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseus
- Wilson's PloverCharadrius wilsonia
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed SparrowAmmodramus caudacutus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Seaside SparrowAmmodramus maritimus
- Wilson's WarblerWilsonia pusilla
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatus
- Black SkimmerRynchops niger
- Black-bellied PloverPluvialis squatarola
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Eastern Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis carolinensis
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Le Conte's SparrowAmmodramus leconteii
- Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceus
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Red KnotCalidris canutus
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- BrantBranta bernicla
- Piping PloverCharadrius melodus
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferus
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Nelson's Sharp-tailed SparrowAmmodramus nelsoni
- Yellow RailCoturnicops noveboracensis
- Ring-necked PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
- Black RailLaterallus jamaicensis
- Blue-winged TealAnas discors
- Brewer's BlackbirdEuphagus cyanocephalus
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianus
- Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
Widespread birds also seen here (46)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Black Duck
- American Crow
- American Kestrel
- Bald Eagle
- Bank Swallow
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black Vulture
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Canada Goose
- Chimney Swift
- Chipping Sparrow
- Common Grackle
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Raven
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Screech-owl
- Eastern Towhee
- Eurasian Collared-dove
- European Starling
- Fish Crow
- Great Blue Heron
- Great Egret
- Great Horned Owl
- Green Heron
- Hooded Merganser
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Osprey
- Pine Siskin
- Purple Finch
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Rusty Blackbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Song Sparrow
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Turkey Vulture
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-crowned Night-heron
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Sources
- Schafale, Guide to the Natural Communities of North Carolina, Fourth Approximation (NC Natural Heritage Program, 2012) habitat description
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition, habitat text phone app
- NC Parks species accounts
- USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System (reviewed notes)
- USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models (2001)
- USGS Gap Analysis Project range maps (2001)
- NatureServe Explorer ecological systems (CC BY 4.0)
- Core Banks dunes, June 2013, Jarek Tuszyński habitat picture
Habitat classes are filed under these habitat types by reviewed matches; descriptions are short glosses.




















































































