| shorebird use of coastal wetland and barrier island habitat in the gulf of mexico. | the gulf coast contains some of the most important shorebird habitats in north america. this area encompasses a diverse mixture of estuarine and barrier island habitats with varying amounts of freshwater swamps and marshes, bottomland hardwood forests, and coastal prairie that has been largely altered for rice and crawfish production, temporary ponds, and river floodplain habitat. for the purposes of this review, discussion is confined to general patterns of shorebird abundance, distribution, an ... | 2002 | 12806034 |