Periodic large-scale movement of animals, usually seasonal
"Irruption" redirects here. For rapid changes in population size, see Irruptive growth.
Mexican free-tailed bats on their long aerial migration
Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migration in ecology. It is found in all major animal groups, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and crustaceans. The cause of migration may be local climate, local availability of food, the season of the year or for mating.
To be counted as a true migration, and not just a local dispersal or irruption, the movement of the animals should be an annual or seasonal occurrence, or a major habitat change as part of their life. An annual event could include Northern Hemisphere birds migrating south for the winter, or wildebeest migrating annually for seasonal grazing. A major habitat change could include young Atlantic salmon or sea lamprey leaving the river of their birth when they have reached a few inches in size. Some traditional forms of human migration fit this pattern.
Migrations can be studied using traditional identification tags such as bird rings, or tracked directly with electronic tracking devices.
Before animal migration was understood, folklore explanations were formulated for the appearance and disappearance of some species, such as that barnacle geese grew from goose barnacles.
Animalmigration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migration...
Animalmigration tracking is used in wildlife biology, conservation biology, ecology, and wildlife management to study animals' behavior in the wild. One...
another Animalmigration Bird migration Plant migration, see Seed dispersal, the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant Gene migration, a...
Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging...
Altitudinal migration is a short-distance animalmigration from lower altitudes to higher altitudes and back. Altitudinal migrants change their elevation...
growth (gravitropism), orientation cues for animalmigrations, and influence the biomechanics and size of animals. Ecological traits, such as allocation of...
Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south, along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate...
tracking artificial satellites Satellite tracking (animalmigration), tracking of animalmigration using satellites Satellite tracking station Geodetic...
several game reserves. The Serengeti hosts the world's most massive land animalmigration (in terms of total body weight), which helps secure it as one of the...
Sea turtle migration is the long-distance movements of sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea) notably the long-distance movement of adults to their breeding...
whereby migrating animals are less likely to complete the migration. This results in populations with lower parasite loads. Migration is usually marked...
Monarch butterfly migration is the phenomenon, mainly across North America, where the subspecies Danaus plexippus plexippus migrates each summer and autumn...
AnimalMigration, Orientation, and Navigation. Academic Press. Keeton, William (1972) Effects of magnets on pigeon homing. pages 579–594 in Animal Orientation...
individuals are forced to change their behaviour which may lead to animalmigration, confrontation, or cannibalism. Cannibalism rates increase with increasing...
established in 1940. The Serengeti is well known for the largest annual animalmigration in the world of over 1.5 million blue wildebeest and 250,000 zebra...
(2007). "Migration of the painted lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui, to north-eastern Spain is aided by African wind currents". Journal of Animal Ecology...
During migration, some types of swallow are active primarily during daytime hours with some activity during twilight hours. Crepuscular animal activity...
airliners. New environmental features include snow, tornadoes, auroras, animalmigration and herds, live marine and flight tracking, the four seasons, and better...
are an underlying stimulus as well. While this mass migration is generally nocturnal, with the animals ascending from the depths at nightfall and descending...
These animals use corridors for such events as seasonal migration, dispersal of juveniles, or moving between parts of a large home range. Animals such...
travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animalmigration throughout history. At lower elevations it may be called a hill pass...
In ecology, a feeding frenzy is a type of animal group activity that occurs when predators are overwhelmed by the amount of prey available. The term is...
bat (Chiroptera) AnimalmigrationAnimal navigation Bird feet and legs Feather Joint Kinesis (biology) Microswimmer Movement of Animals (book) Role of skin...
ever make a southwards return migration. Research suggests that British painted ladies do undertake an autumn migration, making 14,500 km (9,000 mi) round...
conditions. In a wider context, the term Lessepsian migration is also used to describe any animalmigration facilitated by man-made structures, i.e. one which...
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