Over 10,000 acres in size, the refuge encompasses the second largest peat bog in the state, with forested wetlands and uplands surrounding the bog. This diversity of habitats attracts a myriad of bird species which use the area for nesting and migration. Early summer is the best time to bird watch on the refuge. The woods are filled with the songs of neotropical migrants - songbirds such as warblers that winter in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America and return to nest at Sunkhaze Meadows. The stream hosts waterfowl species such as American black ducks and hooded mergansers, in addition to American bitterns and common snipe.
Ospreys soar overhead.
This brochure contains nearly 200 birds that have been identified on or near the refuge since its establishment in 1988. This list is in accordance with the Seventh American Ornithologist's Union Checklist. Sunkhaze Meadows is one of over 500 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is a network of lands and waters managed specifically for the protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat and represents the most comprehensive wildlife management program in the world. Units of the system stretch across the United States from northern Alaska to the Florida Keys and include small islands in the Caribbean and South Pacific.