Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
| Aransas National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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Wetlands at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge looking out from the 40 ft observation tower.
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 Map of the United States
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| Location | Aransas, Calhoun, Refugio counties, Texas, United States |
| Nearest city | Austwell, Texas |
| Coordinates | 28°16′00″N 96°49′00″W / 28.26667°N 96.81667°WCoordinates: 28°16′00″N 96°49′00″W / 28.26667°N 96.81667°W |
| Area | 114,657 acres (464.00 km2) |
| Established | 1937 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Aransas National Wildlife Refuge |
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is a 114,657 acre (464 km2) protected area situated on the southwest side of San Antonio Bay along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Texas. It is located in parts of Aransas, Refugio, and Calhoun counties. The Aransas National Wildlife Refuge was established by Executive Order 7784 on 31 December 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the Aransas Migratory Waterfowl Refuge as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. The name was changed in 1939.
Bird life includes ducks, herons, egrets, ibises, roseate spoonbills, and the endangered whooping crane, whose population has recovered significantly since the 1940s.
Other fauna include American alligators, collared peccaries, snakes, and bobcats, which inhabit the refuge's grasslands, blackjack oak thickets, freshwater ponds, and marshes.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
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