The primary boundary of this 2,763-acre preserve is one mile North and South of the island and is bounded on the East and West by the Alabama state line and the Gulfport Mississippi shipping channel. This large barrier island is made up of subtidal estuarine habitat near shore, barrier island marsh/pond/lagoon complex with pine-oak maritime woodland inland, and sea grass beds and mollusk reef off shore. This unique location provides excellent feeding, resting, and wintering habitat for numerous types of neotropical migrants and wintering waterfowl species, and is also known to be a rookery and nesting area (see below). Lands within this Coastal Preserve are federally owned. The island is part of the Gulf Island National Seashore and managed by the National Park Service.
Rare/Endangered Species:
- Pelecanus erythrorhynchos American White Pelican
- P. occidentalis Brown Pelican
- Phalacrocorax auritus Double-Crested Cormorant
- Egretta rufescens Reddish Egret
- Nycticorax nycticorax Black-Crowned Night-Heron
- Panion haliaetus Osprey
- Halilaeetus leucocephalus Bald Eagle
- Circus cyaneus Northern Harrier
- Falco sparverius American Kestrel
- F. peregrinus Peregrine Falcon
- Latrerallus jamaicensis Black Rail
- Charadrius alexandrinus Snowy Plover
- Sterna nilotica Gull-Billed Tern
- S. maxima Royal Tern
- S. antillerum Least Tern
- Tyto alba Common Barn-Owl
- Tyrannus dominicensis Gray Kingbird
- Lanius ludovicianus Loggerhead Shrike
- Lepidochelys kempi Atlantic Ridley Turtle
- Caretta caretta Atlantic Loggerhead Sea Turtle
- Chelonia mydas Green Turtle
- Pseudemys sp.1 Mississippi Redbelly Turtle
- Alligator mississippiensis American Alligator
- Nerodia clarkii clarkii Gulf Salt Marsh Snake
- Lilaeopsis carolinensis Carolina Lilaeopsis
- Helenium drummondii Drummond’s Sneezeweed
- Paronychia erecta Gulf Rockrose
- Helianthemum arenicola Gulf Rockrose
- Ipomoea pes-caprae Railroad Vine
- Polanisia tenifolia Slender-Leaved Clammy-Weed
- Conradina canescens Seaside Balm
- Andropogon capillipes A Bluestem Grass
- Aristida spiciformis Pine Barren Three-Awned Grass
- Xyris flabelliformis Fan-Shaped Yellow-Eyed Grass
Breeding/Nursery Area:
- Least Tern Rookery
- Royal Tern Rookery
- Sandwich Tern Rookery
- Black Skimmer Rookery
- Bald Eagle Rookery
- Osprey Rookery
- Great Blue Heron Rookery
- Atlantic Loggerhead Turtle Nesting
(Sources of Information: Boyd, J.L., et. al., 1995. An inventory of pond fauna of the Gulf Islands National Seashore with parasitological and trophic observations. Unpublished Report to the National Parks Service.)
For Comments and/or Additional Information on the Horn Island Preserve: Superintendent, Gulf Islands National Seashore, 3500 Park Road, Ocean Springs MS 39564
Contact Horn Island Preserve
REMINDER: This listing is a free service of MississippiLandCAN.
Horn Island Preserve is not employed by or affiliated with the Mississippi Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.
Contact Horn Island Preserve
James Davis
MS Department of Marine Resources
1141 Bayview Avenue
Biloxi, MS 39530
Phone: (228) 374-5000
Cell Phone: (228) 523-4115
Service Area
Services provided in:
- Harrison County, Mississippi
