Every year, 12 million migratory birds from 338 species use the Great Salt Lake as a critical stopover and breeding ground on two different flyways connecting North and South America. Comprising 1,700 square miles of remote islands and shoreline wetlands, the Great Salt Lake’s unique ecosystem provides irreplaceable habitats for plants, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, brine shrimp, and migratory birds. The crisis at the Great Salt Lake is an existential crisis for many of these bird species.
Use the interactive map below to see some of the many birds that depend upon the Great Salt Lake, hear their calls, and learn why this aquatic ecosystem is so critical to their survival.
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Bank Swallow
The bank swallow is a miniscule and adorable bird that comes to the Great Salt Lake to breed. For winter, they migrate to South American lowlands. Bank swallows can be found all over the world, but their North American populations have been harshly declining over the last few decades. This makes a healthy Great Salt Lake important for this species’ preservation.
Bank Swallow
Scientific Name
Riparia riparia
The bank swallow is a miniscule and adorable bird that comes to the Great Salt Lake to breed. For winter, they migrate to South American lowlands. Bank swallows can be found all over the world, but their North American populations have been harshly declining over the last few decades. This makes a healthy Great Salt Lake important for this species’ preservation.
Listen to Bird Call
Pectoral Sandpiper
A somewhat uncommon migrant, the pectoral sandpiper is more likely to seen in greater numbers at the Great Salt Lake during its southward fall migration than during its spring migration. Pectoral sandpipers cover impressive distances in their migration from arctic breeding grounds to wintering grounds in South America, and some individuals may fly up to 30,000 kilometers in one year.
Pectoral Sandpiper
Scientific Name
A somewhat uncommon migrant, the pectoral sandpiper is more likely to seen in greater numbers at the Great Salt Lake during its southward fall migration than during its spring migration. Pectoral sandpipers cover impressive distances in their migration from arctic breeding grounds to wintering grounds in South America, and some individuals may fly up to 30,000 kilometers in one year.
Listen to Bird Call
Black-Bellied Plover
With distinguished breeding plumage and a hauntingly mournful call, the black-bellied plover is a striking bird that includes the Great Salt Lake in its annual migration corridor. Black-bellied plovers breed in Arctic regions of northern Canada and Alaska, but they winter along the coasts of North and South America.
Black-Bellied Plover
Scientific Name
Pluvialis squatarola
With distinguished breeding plumage and a hauntingly mournful call, the black-bellied plover is a striking bird that includes the Great Salt Lake in its annual migration corridor. Black-bellied plovers breed in Arctic regions of northern Canada and Alaska, but they winter along the coasts of North and South America.
Listen to Bird Call
Least Sandpiper
The least sandpiper is the smallest species of sandpiper. Least sandpipers breed in Canada and Alaska, but they winter in the southern United States and throughout South America. In between, they migrate over regions throughout the United States, and hundreds visit the Great Salt Lake annually.
Least Sandpiper
Scientific Name
Calidris minutilla
The least sandpiper is the smallest species of sandpiper. Least sandpipers breed in Canada and Alaska, but they winter in the southern United States and throughout South America. In between, they migrate over regions throughout the United States, and hundreds visit the Great Salt Lake annually.
Listen to Bird Call
Red-Necked Phalarope
Red-necked phalaropes are named after the red streaks that appear on the sides of their necks when they grow their breeding plumage. Phalaropes are atypical birds in that the females have brighter plumage than the males, and the males do all the incubation and chick-rearing. The Great Salt Lake is an important part of the red-necked phalarope’s migration corridor through the American West.
Red-Necked Phalarope
Scientific Name
Phalaropus lobatus
Red-necked phalaropes are named after the red streaks that appear on the sides of their necks when they grow their breeding plumage. Phalaropes are atypical birds in that the females have brighter plumage than the males, and the males do all the incubation and chick-rearing. The Great Salt Lake is an important part of the red-necked phalarope’s migration corridor through the American West.
Listen to Bird Call
Willet
The Great Salt Lake serves as an important breeding ground for western willets, large shorebirds with long legs and pronounced beaks. Willets have an undulating call which sounds like they’re saying “pill-will-willet,” and the bird’s name derives from this distinctive call. Willets nest in sagebrush and rocks on Antelope Island and areas surrounding the Great Salt Lake. In winter, they migrate to coastal regions, sometimes as far south as Chile.
Willet
Scientific Name
Tringa semipalmata
The Great Salt Lake serves as an important breeding ground for western willets, large shorebirds with long legs and pronounced beaks. Willets have an undulating call which sounds like they’re saying “pill-will-willet,” and the bird’s name derives from this distinctive call. Willets nest in sagebrush and rocks on Antelope Island and areas surrounding the Great Salt Lake. In winter, they migrate to coastal regions, sometimes as far south as Chile.
Listen to Bird Call
Western Sandpiper
Western sandpipers rely on the Great Salt Lake's shorelines, beaches, and playas during migration. They stop along saline lakes as they make their way from breeding areas in Alaska to wintering areas along the Gulf of Mexico’s coast. With the decline of other saline lakes in the western United States, the habitat provided by the Great Salt Lake is vital for this species. They have a specialized tongue with a fringe of spines and a mucous coating that allows them to gather biofilm from wet surfaces like mudflats.
Western Sandpiper
Scientific Name
Calidris mauri
Western sandpipers rely on the Great Salt Lake's shorelines, beaches, and playas during migration. They stop along saline lakes as they make their way from breeding areas in Alaska to wintering areas along the Gulf of Mexico’s coast. With the decline of other saline lakes in the western United States, the habitat provided by the Great Salt Lake is vital for this species. They have a specialized tongue with a fringe of spines and a mucous coating that allows them to gather biofilm from wet surfaces like mudflats.
Listen to Bird Call
Black Tern
Black terns were historically common in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, and they could once be found nesting in small colonies on marsh vegetation floating only an inch or two above the water. This made them extremely susceptible to nest loss caused by changes in water levels, so any breeding records for this species in Utah are now historical, though they still migrate through the state. They currently breed as far north as Canada and migrate to Central and South America in the winter.
Black Tern
Scientific Name
Chlidonias niger
Black terns were historically common in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, and they could once be found nesting in small colonies on marsh vegetation floating only an inch or two above the water. This made them extremely susceptible to nest loss caused by changes in water levels, so any breeding records for this species in Utah are now historical, though they still migrate through the state. They currently breed as far north as Canada and migrate to Central and South America in the winter.
Listen to Bird Call
Long-Billed Curlew
Long-billed curlews are North America's largest shorebird. Arriving at the Great Salt Lake in mid-March each year, they rely on nesting grounds in the lake’s ecosystem for breeding. In mid-July, they migrate back to California and Mexico.
Long-Billed Curlew
Scientific Name
Numenius americanus
Long-billed curlews are North America's largest shorebird. Arriving at the Great Salt Lake in mid-March each year, they rely on nesting grounds in the lake’s ecosystem for breeding. In mid-July, they migrate back to California and Mexico.
Listen to Bird Call
Burrowing Owl
In the spring, burrowing owls migrate to the Great Salt Lake from as far south as Honduras and Mexico. As their preferred grassland and prairie habitats disappear, they have adapted by taking up residence in cemeteries, golf courses, airports, and edges of farms. Most burrowing owls fly back south by the end of September.
Burrowing Owl
Scientific Name
Athene cunicularia
In the spring, burrowing owls migrate to the Great Salt Lake from as far south as Honduras and Mexico. As their preferred grassland and prairie habitats disappear, they have adapted by taking up residence in cemeteries, golf courses, airports, and edges of farms. Most burrowing owls fly back south by the end of September.
Listen to Bird Call
Long-Billed Dowitcher
Roughly 59,000 long-billed dowitchers feast at the Great Salt Lake every year while migrating south from their breeding grounds in Northern Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. They are known for the distinctive sewing machine like motion they make while feeding.
Long-Billed Dowitcher
Scientific Name
Limnodromus scolopaceus
Roughly 59,000 long-billed dowitchers feast at the Great Salt Lake every year while migrating south from their breeding grounds in Northern Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. They are known for the distinctive sewing machine like motion they make while feeding.
Listen to Bird Call
Tundra Swan
The tundra swan is one of the largest waterfowl species in North America. Roughly 75,000 tundra swans (nearly 75% of the western population) migrate through the Great Salt Lake ecosystem every year from mid-October through mid-December and again between March and April.
Tundra Swan
Scientific Name
Cygnus columbianus
The tundra swan is one of the largest waterfowl species in North America. Roughly 75,000 tundra swans (nearly 75% of the western population) migrate through the Great Salt Lake ecosystem every year from mid-October through mid-December and again between March and April.
Listen to Bird Call
Northern Pintale
The northern pintail is a duck with iconic plumage, a striped bill, and a strikingly elegant profile. The Great Salt Lake is one of the most important staging areas for northern pintails on the continent, supporting approximately 750,000 individuals, or about 25% of the North American population.
Northern Pintale
Scientific Name
Anas acuta
The northern pintail is a duck with iconic plumage, a striped bill, and a strikingly elegant profile. The Great Salt Lake is one of the most important staging areas for northern pintails on the continent, supporting approximately 750,000 individuals, or about 25% of the North American population.
Listen to Bird Call
Marbled Godwit
Nesting in the northern Great Plains, the marbled godwit is the largest of the world's four godwit species. They winter in coastal areas of Mexico and Central America. The Great Salt Lake is one of their most popular stopover sites during spring and fall migrations.
Marbled Godwit
Scientific Name
Limosa fedoa
Nesting in the northern Great Plains, the marbled godwit is the largest of the world's four godwit species. They winter in coastal areas of Mexico and Central America. The Great Salt Lake is one of their most popular stopover sites during spring and fall migrations.
Listen to Bird Call
Eared Grebe
As many as 5 million eared grebes gather at the Great Salt Lake at the end of summer. At times, 50-90% of North America’s eared grebe population can be found at the lake. In October, they are flightless as they molt, grow new plumage, and gain weight feeding almost exclusively on brine shrimp. Each bird eats up to an estimated 30,000 shrimp each day as they prepare for their winter migration south.
Eared Grebe
Scientific Name
Podiceps nigricollis
As many as 5 million eared grebes gather at the Great Salt Lake at the end of summer. At times, 50-90% of North America’s eared grebe population can be found at the lake. In October, they are flightless as they molt, grow new plumage, and gain weight feeding almost exclusively on brine shrimp. Each bird eats up to an estimated 30,000 shrimp each day as they prepare for their winter migration south.
Listen to Bird Call
Wilson's Phalarope
Up to 60% of the global population of Wilson’s phalaropes migrate to the Great Salt Lake each summer from their wintering grounds in South America to feed on brine flies and shrimp. This is the largest staging concentration in the world. Their numbers have fallen by 70% since the 1980s, and a recent petition seeks to list Wilson’s phalarope as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Wilson's Phalarope
Scientific Name
Phalaropus tricolor
Up to 60% of the global population of Wilson’s phalaropes migrate to the Great Salt Lake each summer from their wintering grounds in South America to feed on brine flies and shrimp. This is the largest staging concentration in the world. Their numbers have fallen by 70% since the 1980s, and a recent petition seeks to list Wilson’s phalarope as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Listen to Bird Call
American White Pelican
The American white pelican is North America’s second largest bird, and it has a wingspan of up to eight feet. 10-20% of the continent’s population of white pelicans are supported by the Great Salt Lake, and the largest pelican rookery in the United States, home of up to 20,000 breeding birds, is located on Gunnison Island in the shrinking North Arm of the Great Salt Lake. This area has historically provided predator-free habitats for American white pelicans to raise their young, but dropping lake levels allow predators to make their way across the dry lakebed and prey on the pelicans’ eggs and young.
American White Pelican
Scientific Name
elecanus erythrorhynchos
The American white pelican is North America’s second largest bird, and it has a wingspan of up to eight feet. 10-20% of the continent’s population of white pelicans are supported by the Great Salt Lake, and the largest pelican rookery in the United States, home of up to 20,000 breeding birds, is located on Gunnison Island in the shrinking North Arm of the Great Salt Lake. This area has historically provided predator-free habitats for American white pelicans to raise their young, but dropping lake levels allow predators to make their way across the dry lakebed and prey on the pelicans’ eggs and young.
Listen to Bird Call
American Avocet
Approximately half of the world's population of American avocets depend on the Great Salt Lake each year as they migrate from wintering areas in Baja California and the inland waters of Mexico. 14% of the continent's breeding population comes to the Great Salt Lake wetlands for the summer to rear their young.
American Avocet
Scientific Name
Recurvirostra americana
Approximately half of the world's population of American avocets depend on the Great Salt Lake each year as they migrate from wintering areas in Baja California and the inland waters of Mexico. 14% of the continent's breeding population comes to the Great Salt Lake wetlands for the summer to rear their young.
Listen to Bird Call
Black-Necked Stilt
Black-necked stilts primarily rely on the freshwater wetlands next to the Great Salt Lake for their breeding grounds. They may travel up to 2,000 miles from their wintering grounds in South America, and the Great Salt Lake ecosystem supports 37% of the North American population.
Black-Necked Stilt
Scientific Name
Pluvialis squatarola
Black-necked stilts primarily rely on the freshwater wetlands next to the Great Salt Lake for their breeding grounds. They may travel up to 2,000 miles from their wintering grounds in South America, and the Great Salt Lake ecosystem supports 37% of the North American population.
Listen to Bird Call
Snowy Plover
The Great Salt Lake is an essential habitat for roughly 23% of the world’s population of snowy plovers. This is because the lake’s ecology and topography make it an ideal breeding ground for these small shorebirds.
Snowy Plover
Scientific Name
Anarhynchus nivosus
The Great Salt Lake is an essential habitat for roughly 23% of the world’s population of snowy plovers. This is because the lake’s ecology and topography make it an ideal breeding ground for these small shorebirds.
Listen to Bird Call
Ruddy Duck
More than 26,000 ruddy ducks breed in the Great Salt Lake area each year. The ecosystem surrounding the Lake is also a major migration route for ducks coming from breeding grounds in Central Alberta, Canada. In addition to their red plumage, males of this duck species are recognizable by their light blue bills.
Ruddy Duck
Scientific Name
Oxyura jamaicensis
More than 26,000 ruddy ducks breed in the Great Salt Lake area each year. The ecosystem surrounding the Lake is also a major migration route for ducks coming from breeding grounds in Central Alberta, Canada. In addition to their red plumage, males of this duck species are recognizable by their light blue bills.
Listen to Bird Call
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Bank Swallow
The bank swallow is a miniscule and adorable bird that comes to the Great Salt Lake to breed. For winter, they migrate to South American lowlands. Bank swallows can be found all over the world, but their North American populations have been harshly declining over the last few decades. This makes a healthy Great Salt Lake important for this species’ preservation.
Riparia riparia
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapPectoral Sandpiper
A somewhat uncommon migrant, the pectoral sandpiper is more likely to seen in greater numbers at the Great Salt Lake during its southward fall migration than during its spring migration. Pectoral sandpipers cover impressive distances in their migration from arctic breeding grounds to wintering grounds in South America, and some individuals may fly up to 30,000 kilometers in one year.
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapBlack-Bellied Plover
With distinguished breeding plumage and a hauntingly mournful call, the black-bellied plover is a striking bird that includes the Great Salt Lake in its annual migration corridor. Black-bellied plovers breed in Arctic regions of northern Canada and Alaska, but they winter along the coasts of North and South America.
Pluvialis squatarola
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapLeast Sandpiper
The least sandpiper is the smallest species of sandpiper. Least sandpipers breed in Canada and Alaska, but they winter in the southern United States and throughout South America. In between, they migrate over regions throughout the United States, and hundreds visit the Great Salt Lake annually.
Calidris minutilla
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapRed-Necked Phalarope
Red-necked phalaropes are named after the red streaks that appear on the sides of their necks when they grow their breeding plumage. Phalaropes are atypical birds in that the females have brighter plumage than the males, and the males do all the incubation and chick-rearing. The Great Salt Lake is an important part of the red-necked phalarope’s migration corridor through the American West.
Phalaropus lobatus
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapWillet
The Great Salt Lake serves as an important breeding ground for western willets, large shorebirds with long legs and pronounced beaks. Willets have an undulating call which sounds like they’re saying “pill-will-willet,” and the bird’s name derives from this distinctive call. Willets nest in sagebrush and rocks on Antelope Island and areas surrounding the Great Salt Lake. In winter, they migrate to coastal regions, sometimes as far south as Chile.
Tringa semipalmata
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapWestern Sandpiper
Western sandpipers rely on the Great Salt Lake's shorelines, beaches, and playas during migration. They stop along saline lakes as they make their way from breeding areas in Alaska to wintering areas along the Gulf of Mexico’s coast. With the decline of other saline lakes in the western United States, the habitat provided by the Great Salt Lake is vital for this species. They have a specialized tongue with a fringe of spines and a mucous coating that allows them to gather biofilm from wet surfaces like mudflats.
Calidris mauri
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapBlack Tern
Black terns were historically common in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, and they could once be found nesting in small colonies on marsh vegetation floating only an inch or two above the water. This made them extremely susceptible to nest loss caused by changes in water levels, so any breeding records for this species in Utah are now historical, though they still migrate through the state. They currently breed as far north as Canada and migrate to Central and South America in the winter.
Chlidonias niger
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapLong-Billed Curlew
Long-billed curlews are North America's largest shorebird. Arriving at the Great Salt Lake in mid-March each year, they rely on nesting grounds in the lake’s ecosystem for breeding. In mid-July, they migrate back to California and Mexico.
Numenius americanus
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapBurrowing Owl
In the spring, burrowing owls migrate to the Great Salt Lake from as far south as Honduras and Mexico. As their preferred grassland and prairie habitats disappear, they have adapted by taking up residence in cemeteries, golf courses, airports, and edges of farms. Most burrowing owls fly back south by the end of September.
Athene cunicularia
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapLong-Billed Dowitcher
Roughly 59,000 long-billed dowitchers feast at the Great Salt Lake every year while migrating south from their breeding grounds in Northern Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. They are known for the distinctive sewing machine like motion they make while feeding.
Limnodromus scolopaceus
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapTundra Swan
The tundra swan is one of the largest waterfowl species in North America. Roughly 75,000 tundra swans (nearly 75% of the western population) migrate through the Great Salt Lake ecosystem every year from mid-October through mid-December and again between March and April.
Cygnus columbianus
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapNorthern Pintale
The northern pintail is a duck with iconic plumage, a striped bill, and a strikingly elegant profile. The Great Salt Lake is one of the most important staging areas for northern pintails on the continent, supporting approximately 750,000 individuals, or about 25% of the North American population.
Anas acuta
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapMarbled Godwit
Nesting in the northern Great Plains, the marbled godwit is the largest of the world's four godwit species. They winter in coastal areas of Mexico and Central America. The Great Salt Lake is one of their most popular stopover sites during spring and fall migrations.
Limosa fedoa
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapEared Grebe
As many as 5 million eared grebes gather at the Great Salt Lake at the end of summer. At times, 50-90% of North America’s eared grebe population can be found at the lake. In October, they are flightless as they molt, grow new plumage, and gain weight feeding almost exclusively on brine shrimp. Each bird eats up to an estimated 30,000 shrimp each day as they prepare for their winter migration south.
Podiceps nigricollis
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapWilson's Phalarope
Up to 60% of the global population of Wilson’s phalaropes migrate to the Great Salt Lake each summer from their wintering grounds in South America to feed on brine flies and shrimp. This is the largest staging concentration in the world. Their numbers have fallen by 70% since the 1980s, and a recent petition seeks to list Wilson’s phalarope as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Phalaropus tricolor
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapAmerican White Pelican
The American white pelican is North America’s second largest bird, and it has a wingspan of up to eight feet. 10-20% of the continent’s population of white pelicans are supported by the Great Salt Lake, and the largest pelican rookery in the United States, home of up to 20,000 breeding birds, is located on Gunnison Island in the shrinking North Arm of the Great Salt Lake. This area has historically provided predator-free habitats for American white pelicans to raise their young, but dropping lake levels allow predators to make their way across the dry lakebed and prey on the pelicans’ eggs and young.
elecanus erythrorhynchos
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapAmerican Avocet
Approximately half of the world's population of American avocets depend on the Great Salt Lake each year as they migrate from wintering areas in Baja California and the inland waters of Mexico. 14% of the continent's breeding population comes to the Great Salt Lake wetlands for the summer to rear their young.
Recurvirostra americana
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapBlack-Necked Stilt
Black-necked stilts primarily rely on the freshwater wetlands next to the Great Salt Lake for their breeding grounds. They may travel up to 2,000 miles from their wintering grounds in South America, and the Great Salt Lake ecosystem supports 37% of the North American population.
Pluvialis squatarola
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapSnowy Plover
The Great Salt Lake is an essential habitat for roughly 23% of the world’s population of snowy plovers. This is because the lake’s ecology and topography make it an ideal breeding ground for these small shorebirds.
Anarhynchus nivosus
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to MapRuddy Duck
More than 26,000 ruddy ducks breed in the Great Salt Lake area each year. The ecosystem surrounding the Lake is also a major migration route for ducks coming from breeding grounds in Central Alberta, Canada. In addition to their red plumage, males of this duck species are recognizable by their light blue bills.
Oxyura jamaicensis
Listen to Bird Call↑ Back to Map