The Salton Sea is California’s Everglades.

One of the attractions of the Sea is the abundance of life, manifested in the hundreds of species of birds that reside in, or visit, this important wetland habitat.

For bird watchers, the Sea is the only place in California where one can see such variety and abundance of herons, egrets, ibises and woodstorks – species also characterizing Florida’s Everglades, but the Salton Sea offers even greater species diversity. More than two thirds of all species of birds in the continental United States have been recorded at the Salton Sea.

The Sea also teems with fish – with an estimated crop of over 200 million fish. That is why some scientists have called the Salton Sea “California’s crown jewel of avian biodiversity” and perhaps the most productive fishery in the world.

This abundance of wildlife is particularly critical given the decline of wetlands. Over 90 percent of the wetlands of California have been lost. As California’s wetlands decline, the importance of the Sea as a habitat for inland wetland species increases. The Sea’s habitats support up to 40 percent of the entire US population of the threatened Yuma clapper rail, 80 to 90 percent of the American white pelican, and 90 percent of the eared grebe.

	Salton Sea – International Avian Airport
	Sea Facts – Wildlife