Migratory Birds: Meaning, Examples and Why Birds Migrate
Contents
Migratory birds are birds that travel every year between two homes, usually a summer breeding ground and a winter feeding ground, and then return. They move with the seasons to find food, a milder climate and safe places to raise chicks. India receives many of them each winter, and others pass through on longer journeys.
For the wider picture of how animals keep nature in balance, read our main guide on animals of the ecosystem and their roles.
What is the meaning of migratory birds?
Start with migration. NCERT’s earlier Class 8 Science book, in the chapter “Conservation of Plants and Animals”, gives a simple definition for exams. It calls migration the movement of a species from its own habitat to another habitat for a fixed period every year, for a purpose such as breeding.
Two features set migration apart from other animal movements:
- It is seasonal. The movement happens at roughly the same time each year.
- It includes a return journey. The animal goes back to where it started.
The same NCERT chapter says migratory birds fly to faraway places each year because of climatic changes, when their home becomes very cold and inhospitable. So a migratory bird is any bird species, or population, that makes this regular two-way journey. A bird that lives in one area throughout the year is called a resident bird.
Why do birds migrate?
No single place offers birds everything they need in every season. The main reasons fall into three groups.
1. Food
Food is the biggest driver. The US Fish and Wildlife Service’s classic booklet Migration of Birds (Circular 16, 1950) makes a surprising point. Many insect-eating birds can survive temperatures far below zero when kept in outdoor aviaries. The real problem in winter is the loss of food. Insects disappear or go dormant, and snow or ice hides seeds and water plants.
The same booklet adds that short winter days leave birds less time to feed. Yet cold weather makes them burn more energy to stay warm. Flying south solves both problems at once.
2. Climate and seasons
Harsh weather pushes birds to move. A PIB release from February 2018 explains the general pattern: birds usually leave the northern hemisphere in winter for warmer tropical and equatorial regions. The same release counts India among the favourite winter destinations of several migratory species.
3. Breeding
Birds also migrate to raise their young. Northern lands in summer have long days, plenty of insects and wide open space. The Fish and Wildlife Service booklet argues that if every bird stayed in the tropics, nesting areas would become badly overcrowded. Each breeding pair needs a territory large enough to feed itself and its hungry chicks. By flying north in spring, migrants find room and food to spare.
How do migratory birds find their way?
The 1950 Fish and Wildlife Service booklet points out that birds marked with numbered bands return again and again to the very same nesting sites. It suggests that sharp eyesight and memory may help birds follow landmarks on later trips, though much migration happens at night or over open sea. It also discusses an early theory that birds can sense the Earth’s magnetic field. At the time, the booklet said, experiments on that theory gave opposite results and much more work was needed.
The same booklet notes that most small birds, such as warblers, thrushes and sparrows, travel at night.
Do all birds migrate?
No. Most birds do not migrate. According to a PIB release from October 2021, roughly one in five of the world’s 11,000 bird species migrate. Some of these cover enormous distances.
Two common reasons a bird may stay put:
- Steady food supply. The Fish and Wildlife Service booklet observes that tropical birds, as a rule, do not migrate, since food and breeding conditions stay suitable all year.
- Food that winter cannot hide. The booklet notes that chickadees find all their food in trees. Because this food stays within reach, they can face Arctic winters.
Some species are partial migrants. Within a single species, birds in one region may live there all year, while birds of the same kind elsewhere visit only in winter. So the question “does this bird migrate?” sometimes depends on where it lives.
What are the types of migratory birds?
There is no single official list. Textbooks usually sort migratory birds as shown below.
| Type | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Long-distance migrants | Travel between continents, often crossing the Equator | Arctic tern, barn swallow |
| Short-distance migrants | Move a modest distance, often within one continent | Juncos nesting in Canada and wintering in the USA |
| Vertical (altitudinal) migrants | Move up and down mountain slopes with the seasons | Rosy finches of the Rocky Mountains; Himalayan monal |
| Partial migrants | Only part of the population migrates | Species with wide ranges and mixed climates |
| Winter visitors | Arrive from the north and stay through the cold months | Bar-headed goose, demoiselle crane in India |
| Passage migrants | Stop over in a region on the way to somewhere else | Amur falcon in North-East India |
| Resident (non-migratory) birds | Stay in one area all year | Many tropical birds, chickadees |
Long-distance migrants
These birds make the longest journeys, and the Arctic tern is the record holder. You may see two very different figures for it, because they measure different things:
- One way, about 11,000 miles. The 1950 Fish and Wildlife Service booklet calls the tern the champion long-distance flier. It says the birds leave their North American breeding grounds and turn up a few months later in the Antarctic region, 11,000 miles (roughly 17,700 km) away. That is the gap between its breeding and wintering grounds.
- The full year, about 49,000 miles. The US National Park Service puts the whole yearly round trip, from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back, at about 49,000 miles (roughly 79,000 km).
NPS calls the route circuitous, so the yearly total is more than twice the one-way gap between the two grounds.
Short-distance migrants
These birds move only as far as they must. The booklet lists juncos, tree sparrows and Lapland longspurs among species that nest in Canada and spend the winter in the United States.
Vertical or altitudinal migrants
In mountains, a short trip downhill can matter as much as a long trip south. The booklet explains that a few hundred feet of height can equal hundreds of miles of distance in climate terms. Birds that nest high in the Rocky Mountains, such as rosy finches and juncos, move down to lower slopes for winter. The booklet adds that such up-and-down movements take place wherever there are large mountain ranges.
A Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change plan for the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone in Uttarakhand describes the Himalayan monal. It says the pheasant frequents kharsu, birch and fir forests and comes down to the upper deodar forest in winter. The same report lists the yellow-billed and red-billed choughs as resident and altitudinal migrants.
Passage migrants and winter visitors
Winter visitors arrive from the north and stay for the cold months. Passage migrants only rest and refuel on their way elsewhere. A well-known example in India is the Amur falcon. PIB notes that Amur falcons migrate to North East India on their route to southern Africa, which makes the region a vital stopover rather than a winter home. Nagaland’s information department reported in November 2025 that their largest yearly gathering forms at Pangti village, Wokha district, in October and November.
Which migratory birds come to India?
India lies on major bird routes, so it hosts a rich variety of migrants. A PIB release from February 2018 calls India a preferred wintering destination for several migratory species, naming the bar-headed goose and the demoiselle crane among them.
The black-necked crane
The black-necked crane has two separate homes in India. A PIB release from February 2024 says the Tso Kar Wetland Complex in Ladakh is an important foraging and breeding ground for the species. A Wildlife Institute of India survey in 2016-2017 counted around 66-69 cranes in the Ladakh region. In Arunachal Pradesh, PIB adds, a small population of about 11 birds arrives during the winter months.
The Central Asian Flyway
A flyway is a broad route that migrating birds use between their breeding and wintering grounds. According to PIB in October 2021, the Central Asian Flyway covers a large area of Eurasia between the Arctic and Indian Oceans. It contains several important migration routes. Including India, 30 countries lie under it, and PIB calls it one of the most important of the nine flyways in the world.
Wetlands that shelter migratory birds
Many migrants are waterbirds, so wetlands are their key resting and feeding places. The Tso Kar Wetland Complex, the crane’s breeding ground in Ladakh, was designated a Ramsar site in December 2020, according to the 2024 PIB release. Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance. Our guide to Ramsar sites in India lists them, and the article on why wetlands matter and how to protect them explains their wider value.
What threats do migratory birds face?
A long journey crosses many countries, so a bird can be harmed anywhere along the way. PIB, citing the Asian Waterbird Census of Wetlands International, reported in 2018 that some migratory species in the region had declined over the previous decade, while others were stable. It linked the decline to:
- draining or filling of wetlands, called wetland reclamation
- pollution of wetlands by domestic sewage
- hunting, and trapping along migration routes
- heavy use of pesticides and fertilisers
- loss of habitat
- climate change
Protection therefore needs countries to cooperate along the whole flyway. In India, important bird habitats have been notified as protected areas under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. PIB also notes that India has signed the CMS and memorandums of understanding under it on Siberian cranes and on birds of prey.
Where can you learn more about birds?
See the features that make a bird to learn how a bird’s body is built for flight. To meet some of the best-known species, from eagles to penguins, explore famous bird species around the world. Many Arctic breeders, including the Arctic tern, share their summer home with the animals described in Arctic animals and their adaptations.
Sources
- US Fish and Wildlife Service — Migration of Birds, Circular 16 (1950), hosted by NOAA Fisheries
- US National Park Service — Earth’s Original Aviators
- NCERT Class 8 Science (earlier edition) — Chapter 5: Conservation of Plants and Animals
- PIB — Migratory Birds, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (2 February 2018)
- PIB — Black-necked Crane, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (5 February 2024)
- PIB — Two-day meeting of 30 range countries of the Central Asian Flyway begins (6 October 2021)
- Department of Information and Public Relations, Nagaland — Wokha district declared temporary silence zone to protect migrating Amur falcons (3 November 2025)
- MoEFCC — Zonal Master Plan of Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone, Part I: Landscape Background (2018)
Frequently asked questions
What is the definition of migratory birds?
Migratory birds are birds that travel regularly between two areas, usually a breeding ground and a wintering ground, and come back again. The journey follows the seasons and repeats every year. NCERT describes migratory birds as birds that cover long distances to reach another land when the weather at home turns harsh.
Why do birds migrate in winter?
Most birds leave cold northern regions because food runs short, not mainly because of the cold itself. Snow and ice cover seeds, insects vanish and short days leave little time to feed. Birds fly to warmer areas where food lasts all winter, then return in spring to breed.
Do all birds migrate?
No. A PIB release from October 2021 says roughly one in five of the world's 11,000 bird species migrate, so most birds do not. Many tropical birds stay put all year. Some species are partial migrants, where only part of the population moves while the rest stays behind.
Which migratory birds come to India?
PIB names the bar-headed goose and the demoiselle crane among birds that prefer India in winter. The Amur falcon is a passage migrant: it stops over in North-East India on its way to southern Africa. Black-necked cranes breed in Ladakh, and a small group winters in Arunachal Pradesh.
What is the Central Asian Flyway?
A flyway is a broad region that migrating birds use between their breeding and wintering grounds. The Central Asian Flyway covers a large part of Eurasia between the Arctic and Indian Oceans. According to PIB in 2021, it includes 30 countries, India among them, and is one of nine flyways in the world.