Habitat losses along the Flyway have resulted in the Salton Sea becoming critical habitat for some of these species. More than 400 species of birds have been recorded within the Salton Sea ecosystem. People travel to this location from across the nation and from beyond our borders to seek sightings of species as diverse as pelagic frigate birds, tropical species such as flamingos, various species of shorebirds, wading birds and other waterbirds, raptors such as ospreys and peregrine falcons and land birds such as the burrowing owl. Within the western United States, only the Texas Gulf Coast has greater avian biodiversity. This incredible species richness has resulted in the development of the Salton Sea International Bird Festival, now an annual event.
Bird watching annually brings several million dollars into the local communities of the Sea.
During some years, nearly 40 percent of California's breeding by black skimmers takes place at the Sea. The Salton Sea nesting colony of gull-billed terns is the largest in the western United States and one of only two colonies that exist in this part of the nation. Approximately 40 percent of the United States population of the endangered Yuma clapper rail is dependent on the Sea. The Sea is one of the most important sites in the interior of North America for migratory and wintering shorebirds and the populations are of international importance. Most of the western population of white pelicans utilizes the Sea during some years.