Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in south-central Kansas preserves a distinctive mix of inland salt marshes, wetlands, and prairie that makes it one of the state’s most important bird habitats along the Central Flyway. Established in 1955 and later expanded to 22,135 acres, it includes 34 wetlands, the Big and Little Salt Marshes, and extensive grass-covered sand dunes where eastern and western prairie species meet. Its name recalls Coronado’s 1541 search for Quivira. Seasonal bird migrations define the refuge, with vast numbers of waterfowl passing through and endangered whooping cranes sometimes stopping there, while other wildlife thrives in habitats managed to reflect older prairie ecology.