At the southwest corner of the Camas Prairie, White Bird is near the Salmon River crossing point for the Lewis and Clark expedition.

It is also the location of the Battle of White Bird Canyon in 1877, which was the first fight of the Nez Perce War and a significant defeat of the U.S. Army.

The summit of White Bird Hill is 2,700 feet (820 m) above the city, ascended via U.S. Highway 95.

[6] The two-lane road of 1921 to the east was first paved in 1938; it left the Salmon River at White Bird Creek, followed it up through White Bird and then gradually climbed the grade in twice the distance, with multiple switchback curves to a higher summit, without a cut.

[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2), all of it land.

The racial makup of the city was 97.17% White, 0.94% Native American and 1.89% from two or more races.

There were 10.8% of families and 21.2% of the population living below the poverty line, including 40.0% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.