Feather's ruffled by bird migration jargon? Take a look at our handy glossary of bird migration terms.
Birds don't just fly at random when they migrate, they follow set sky roads know as flyways. Photo: Nick Upton (rspb-images.com)
What is a flyway?
It’s a flight path used in bird migration. This usually refers to a common route used by multiple migratory species, eg the East Atlantic Flyway. It is used to refer to both the route and the network of sites along that route used by migratory birds.
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What is a passage migrant?
This refers to a bird passing through a place temporarily on its migration, eg between wintering and breeding grounds.
Where is the Afro-Palearctic?
The Afro-Palearctic is a biogeographic region stretching from Europe and Asia down to Africa. The term is usually used to refer to Afro-Palearctic migrants eg birds that move between Africa and Europe/Asia. Swallows are a good example of this.
What’s a summer migrant?
In the context of the UK, this is a bird that migrates to the UK to spend the summer (and usually breed).
What is a winter migrant?
Again, in the context of the UK, this refers to birds that migrate to the UK to spend the winter.
What is a vagrant?
This is a bird that is found well outside its usual range, so it it usually a very rare migrant. Sometimes these are a young bird that has become lost, or they can be birds that are blown off course by storms.
Waxwings don't migrate to the UK every year, this is called irruptive migration. Photo: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
What does irruptive migration mean?
Irruptive migration is a migration that is irregular between years – eg when low food supplies in one area cause mass movement to another. It is common in finches and waxwings.
What is a long distance migrant?
This is usually an intercontinental migrant, eg travelling form Europe to West Africa. Arctic terns are a good example, with the longest migration of any bird.
Arctic terns are long distance migrants, they have the longest migration of any bird. Photo: iStock
What is a short distance migrant?
This is usually a migrant that travels either within country or within continent, eg from the UK to Spain.
What is a partial migrant?
This is used to refer to a species that is migratory in one part of its range but resident in another, eg robins or blue tits.
Some robins migrate, but some don't. This is called partial migration. Photo: David Tipling (rspb-images.com)
What does altitudinal migration mean?
This refers to migration that takes place from lower to higher altitudes and back. It’s not very common in the UK.
What does reverse migration mean?
This refers to migration that takes place in the opposite direction from the correct route. This is usually seen in young birds that get lost.
What does Vis Mig mean?
Visible migration, or the act of watching birds migrate.
How are migrating birds tracked?
Satellite tags – Typically used to mean a type of electronic tag that can be fitted to birds, it transmits its location via a satellite network to give its location in +/- real time, without the bird having to be recaught. It can be used to track birds during their migration. Location accuracy is medium unless also a GPS tag.
Turtle doves are being tracked to monitor their migrations. Photo: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
What is a migration stopover?
This refers to a sites where birds stop temporarily to refuel before they continue on their migration.
Many birds, such as brent geese, travel a long well worn migration corridors. Photo: David Andrews (rspb-images.com)
What is a migration corridor?
This is a route followed by birds on migration.
What does broadfront migration mean?
This refers to migration where birds are spread over a wide area, instead of a narrow corridor.
What is a diurnal migrant?
A bird that migrates during the day.
What is a nocturnal migrant?
A birds that migrates at night.
What is leapfrog migration?
This refers to when birds that breed further north then migrate to more southerly locations to winter than their counterparts that bred further south.
Chaffinches show differential migration, where different birds from the same population travel different distances. Photo: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
What is differential migration?
This occurs when individuals from a population migrate different distances, eg males/females and young/old individuals migrate to different places in species such as chaffinches.
What are migration cues?
These are environmental changes that stimulate birds to migrate, eg day length, temperature and hormones.
Got your own term to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below. You can read more on migration in our Migration Special issue of Nature's Home (Winter 2018).
Want to learn more about bird migration? Check out our ultimate guide to all things migration.