Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge

Located on and around Kentucky Lake in Northwest Tennessee, the refuge’s three units, Big Sandy, Duck River, and Busseltown, stretch for 65 miles along the Tennessee River. Established in 1945, as a conservation area for migratory birds, it provides a major wintering area for migrating waterfowl. Currently the refuge habitats include agricultural crops; vegetated wetlands, mudflats, shrub/scrub areas and forested lands. This rich diversity of habitats, harbor an abundance of wildlife.  Three quarters of the bird species found in this state are found on the refuge.  Our checklist includes 306 birds, 51 mammals, 89 reptiles and amphibians and 144 species of fish.