The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill caused widespread injury and mortality to coastal birds in Louisiana, and ongoing habitat loss remains a significant limiting factor in successful nesting. Large-scale ecosystem restoration funded by DWH settlement dollars is helping address this loss. To further support bird restoration efforts, the Avian Guidance Document (Guidance for Coastal Ecosystem Restoration and Monitoring to Create or Improve Bird-Nesting Habitat, 2023) was developed to maximize benefits for coastal breeding birds while advancing broader habitat restoration goals of natural resource managers. Co-produced by avian experts, engineers, and coastal restoration practitioners, the Guidance Document emphasizes species that nest on the northern Gulf and provides clear, actionable recommendations for restoration project teams. It highlights habitat features known to be important for nesting birds and within designers’ control (e.g.; elevation heterogeneity, land to water interspersion, hydrological features) that project teams can incorporate into existing restoration design plans to leverage additional benefits for nesting birds. The Avian Guidance Document was created as a living document to be updated at least every five years. The most recent update in 2025 significantly expanded recommendations for Marsh-nesting birds and added a new section with targeted guidance for Black Rails. We will discuss the iterative co-production process, highlights of the new Marsh-nesting bird recommendations, and the Avian Guidance Document’s role in Louisiana’s broader adaptive management framework.