| Pajaro River Río de San Antonio, Río del Pájaro | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the Pajaro River at Watsonville, California. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean about 2.5 miles (4 km) west of this photograph. View is to the east. | |
 Pajaro River watershed (Interactive map) | |
| Etymology | ‘Bird’ in Spanish |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Santa Cruz, Monterey, Santa Clara, and San Benito counties |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | San Felipe Lake |
| • location | 7 mi (11 km) east of Gilroy |
| • coordinates | 36°58′55″N 121°29′18″W / 36.98194°N 121.48833°W[1] |
| • elevation | 146 ft (45 m) |
| Mouth | Monterey Bay |
• location | 5 mi (8 km) southwest of Watsonville |
• coordinates | 36°51′00″N 121°48′35″W / 36.85000°N 121.80972°W[1] |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Length | 30 mi (48 km) |
| Basin size | 1,300 sq mi (3,400 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Chittenden |
| • average | 163 cu ft/s (4.6 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 25,100 cu ft/s (710 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Pacheco Creek, San Benito River |
| • right | Llagas Creek, Uvas Creek, Pescadero Creek, Coward Creek, Salsipuedes Creek |
The Pajaro River (pájaro is bird in Spanish) is a U.S. river in the Central Coast region of California, forming part of the border between San Benito and Santa Clara Counties, the entire border between San Benito and Santa Cruz County, and the entire border between Santa Cruz and Monterey County. Flowing roughly east to west, the river empties into Monterey Bay, west of Watsonville, California.
