In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They typically contain brackish water highly conducive to fish life and plankton. Bayous are commonly found in the Gulf Coast region of the southern United States, especially in the

Mississippi River Delta The Mississippi River Delta is the confluence of the Mississippi River with the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, southeastern United States. The river delta is a area of land that stretches from Vermilion Bay on the west, to the Chandeleur Isla ...

, though they also exist elsewhere. A bayou is often an

anabranch An anabranch is a section of a river or stream that diverts from the main channel or stem of the watercourse and rejoins the main stem downstream. Local anabranches can be the result of small islands in the watercourse. In larger anabranches, th ...

or minor braid of a braided channel that is slower than the mainstem, often becoming boggy and stagnant. Though fauna varies by region, many bayous are home to

crawfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

, certain species of

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

, other

shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...

, catfish, frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, American alligators, American crocodiles,

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

s, lizards, turtles, tortoises, Roseate spoonbill, spoonbills, snakes, and leeches, as well as many other species.

Etymology

The word entered American English via Louisiana French language, Louisiana French in Louisiana and is thought to originate from the Choctaw word ''bayuk'', which means "small stream". After first appearing in the 17th century, the term is found in 18th century accounts and maps, often as ''bayouc'' or ''bayouque'', where it was eventually shortened to its current form. The first settlements of the Bayou Teche, Bayou Têche and other bayous were founded by the Louisiana Creole people, Louisiana Creoles, which accounts for why the bayous are commonly associated with Creole and Cajun culture. Alternative spelling, "buyou", is also known to have been formerly in use, as in "Pine Buyou", used in a description by Congress in 1833 of Arkansas Territory.

Geography

The term ''Bayou Country'' is most closely associated with Cajun and Louisiana Creole people, Creole cultural groups derived from French settlers and stretching along the Gulf Coast from Houston, Texas, to Mobile, Alabama, and picking back up in South Florida around the Everglades with its center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Houston has the nickname "Bayou City". "bye-you" is the most common pronunciation, while a few use "bye-oh" , although that pronunciation is declining.

Notable examples

* Bayou Bartholomew * Bayou Corne sinkhole, Bayou Corne * Bayou La Batre, Alabama, Bayou La Batre * Bayou Lafourche * Bayou St. John * Bayou Teche * Big Bayou Canot rail accident, Big Bayou Canot * Buffalo Bayou * Big Cypress Bayou, Cypress Bayou

References

External links

{{Authority control Fluvial landforms Lagoons Wetlands Swamps of the United States, . Wetlands of the United States, . Wetlands and bayous of Louisiana, *Bayou Wetlands of Florida, .Bayou Wetlands of Texas, .Bayou Rivers of Florida, .Bayou Rivers of Louisiana, .Bayou Rivers of Texas, .Bayou

Etymology

Geography

Notable examples

See also

References

External links