The Colorado River runs for 277 miles through Grand Canyon National Park. Combined with miles of springs and tributary streams, the Grand Canyon is home to a massive network of riparian areas that are key habitat for hundreds of species. These aquatic areas are water holes in an arid environment, provide abundant food sources, and are filled with thick vegetation which is ideal habitat for many birds species. Many species, such as belted kingfishers, live in the Canyon year round, feeding on native fish in the Colorado River and its tributaries. Migratory birds, like the lesser scaup, rely on the Canyon as important winter habitat when their summer ranges become too cold. And for yet other species, like the critically endangered southwestern willow flycatcher, the waterways in the Grand Canyon are important nesting habitat.
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