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>Map >Satellite Established in 1930, when the Salton Sea was lower (see Salton Sea Margin Areas), much of the original Refuge is under water. At present, the managed Refuge consists of a narrow corridor of land bordering the south end of the Sea where some 600 hectares (1,500 acres) of farmed crops and marsh habitat have been developed to provide a habitat for wintering waterfowl. Over 258 species of birds have been recorded on the Refuge. This area supports the highest population of doves in the West, including the mourning dove, Zenaidura macroura, white-winged dove, Zenaida asiatica, and Mexican ground dove, Columbigallina passerina. The gull-billed tern, Gelochelidon nilotica, and laughing gull, Larus atricilla, breed here, one of the few such colonies in the western United States. Other noteworthy species found here include wood ibis, Mycteria americana, white-faced ibis, Plegadis chihi, and the fulvous tree duck, Dendrocygna bicolor, which nests here. A total of 106 water-oriented species have been sighted in the area. Integrity: Managed for migratory waterfowl. Hunting is permitted upon occasion. Use: Present. Research, educational, observational. December 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2008 Steven Louis Hartman
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