Wilson's Phalaropes

to the fate of the Great Salt Lake. Each summer, up to half a million of them gather here—the largest congregation of their kind on Earth—to feed and molt before an astonishing migration to South America. They rely entirely on the lake’s brine shrimp and alkali flies to build the fat reserves that sustain their 3,000-mile journey. But as the lake shrinks from overuse and drought, rising salinity threatens the very life forms that nourish them. Once abundant, their numbers are now in steep decline, and scientists warn that continued loss of habitat could push the species toward endangerment. In their spinning, mirror-like movements across the water’s surface, Wilson’s Phalaropes embody both grace and fragility—living symbols of a delicate ecosystem nearing collapse.