English: The Salton Sea in Southern California is a critical stop for migratory birds on the Pacific and Central Flyways. More than 400 species of birds, including 80 percent of the western population of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), one of the largest North American birds, use the system.

Birds banded at the Salton Sea and reported to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory have been recovered throughout North America. The combination of avian biodiversity and importance as a breeding habitat is unsurpassed by any limited geographic area within the contiguous 48 states and Latin America.

For more information on the USGS Salton Sea Science Center and this unique inland sea created due a Colorado River levee break in 1905, please see: www.usgs.gov/saltonsea/

Photo Credit: Douglas Barnum, USGS