The Currituck NWR is located on North Carolina's Outer Banks barrier island strand. The refuge is managed by the USFWS to preserve and protect a portion of the Outer Banks habitat for waterfowl, other migratory birds, endangered species, and native wildlife. The refuge is comprised of five main tracts scattered along the barrier island. A variety of habitat types are found on the refuge, and they have a fairly regular transition of types from the Atlantic Ocean to Currituck Sound. The transition is typically from barren, sandy beaches to grassy dunes. Maritime forests and shrub thickets of stunted live oak, loblolly pine, wax myrtle, and bayberry are usually the next components. Freshwater ponds and grassy interdunal wetlands (flats) are scattered throughout the tracts. A variety of wildlife species, including wading birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians common to the eastern United States, are found on the refuge.