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.
- RedheadAythya americana
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipes
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Northern WaterthrushSeiurus noveboracensis
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres
- Snow GooseChen caerulescens
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleuca
- King RailRallus elegans
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopus
- Tundra SwanCygnus columbianus
- DunlinCalidris alpina
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Palm WarblerDendroica palmarum
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Wood StorkMycteria americana
- Prairie WarblerDendroica discolor
- American CootFulica americana
- Chuck-will's-widowCaprimulgus carolinensis
- GadwallAnas strepera
- Least BitternIxobrychus exilis
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- American PipitAnthus rubescens
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Boat-tailed GrackleQuiscalus major
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Henslow's SparrowAmmodramus henslowii
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutilla
- Painted BuntingPasserina ciris
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.





















































































