Word
渡り鳥
Meaning in Englishmigratory bird, bird of passage
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
渡り鳥 means a migratory bird that travels seasonally between breeding areas and wintering grounds; the term describes species that move long distances to follow seasonal resources and favorable climates.
Main meanings
- Primary meaning: migratory bird that travels seasonally between breeding and wintering grounds
- In ecology and ornithology, used to classify species with long distance seasonal migrations
How to use it
Used in natural history, ecology, journalism, and education to refer to birds that migrate; formal and neutral in tone, common in wildlife guides and scientific writing; in casual speech, people may say migratory birds instead.
Variants and close terms
- 旅鳥 (tabidori) – migratory bird, tabidori
Composition
- 渡り: movement across; crossing or migration, often across water
- り: a connective suffix forming the noun from the verb root 渡る
- 鳥: bird
Word class
noun (名詞)