Habitats: bottomland hardwood forest, cypress-tupelo-gum swamp forest, pine forest, mixed hardwood forest, agriculture.

Land Use: wildlife conservation, other conservation, education.

Primary Threats: water quality (pollution, sedimentation, disease),  introduced species, cowbird parasitism

Protection Status: The site includes approximately 1,700 acres called Cool Springs, which is protected and managed by Weyerhaueser, Inc.  The site also includes the Neuse River Game Lands.  The majority of the site is private.  Organizations like the Neuse River Foundation are working hard to protect and improve water quality throughout the Neuse River basin.

Conservation Issues: The Neuse River was once listed among the 20 most threatened rivers in North America. Excessive nutrients, primarily nitrogen, organics and sediments from runoff and other sources threaten water quality in the river. Swamp forests within this IBA are essential to North Carolina's birds.  Protecting these forests in this IBA is vital for those species of birds that depend on this habitat type.

Birds: This site has significant acreage of cypress-tupelo-gum swamp forest and supports the suite of species associated with these natural communities (Criteria 3). The site also has supports a significant concentration and diversity of neotropical migrant landbirds (Criteria 4g). Twenty species of warblers have been recorded on Weyerhaeuser's Cool Springs, 12 of which breed on the site.  Wood Ducks breed and winter in significant numbers. Breeding and migration monitoring programs have been established on Cool Springs.

Key Bird Species