Hundreds of migrating bird species depend on the shrinking Great Salt Lake for survival, including the Wilson’s phalarope. Environmental advocates hope to get this adorable shorebird on the Endangered Species Act as a potential solution to bolster the lake’s water levels. But will saving one bird be enough to save the GSL?
Protect the Phalarope, Protect the GSL
Since the 1980s, the phalarope population has declined by 36% at the Great Salt Lake. Once a species is protected under the Endangered Species Act, their habitat is protected, too.
There are over a million Wilson's phalarope in the world. And 60% of them rely on our very own, very endangered Great Salt Lake.
Deeda Seed, Senior Campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity
The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition to get the Wilson’s phalarope protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. If successful, the state will have to work with the federal government on a recovery plan to safeguard the phalarope’s ecosystem aka the GSL.
Phalarope Phun Phacts
- Molters gonna molt: Unlike typical shorebirds, they spend most of their days swimming and molting (the process of shedding and changing their feathers).
- Role reversal: Females are larger, more brightly colored, and pursue males for mating. They also have multiple mates and defend their nests. Males take care of the chicks.
- Brine flies, it’s what’s for dinner: They munch on mostly aquatic insects. That’s why they love the GSL so much, it’s a brine fly buffet.
