Coastal preserve
Copper River Delta
Alaska, USA
Each spring, millions of shorebirds pour into the Copper River Delta to refuel on their way to Arctic breeding grounds.
A great wild delta
The Copper River drains the Wrangell and Chugach mountains into the Gulf of Alaska. At its mouth lies the largest contiguous wetland on the Pacific coast of North America, a mosaic of mudflats, marshes, ponds and channels.
Why it matters for birds
The delta is a key stop on the Pacific Flyway. Every spring, millions of shorebirds feed on the mudflats. They include a large share of the world's western sandpipers and the Pacific population of dunlins. The delta also holds one of the largest nesting populations of trumpeter swans.
Salmon and people
The river is famous for its wild salmon runs. Salmon, birds and people all depend on the health of the same wetlands.
Seeing it
The town of Cordova, reached only by boat or plane, celebrates the spring migration each May.
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