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Glite Dictionary
migration route

migration route

2 3.7
A path that birds or animals follow when they move between places each year
  • noun
translation icon : ruta migratoria
  • The island is also close to a humpback whale migration route.

Examples

  • In its Broughton Archipelago Action Plan, MAFF chose 11 farms for fallowing, believed to be a significant migration route for juvenile pink salmon.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Their 6,000-kilometer migration route is the longest of any bird in terms of distance traveled per gram of body weight.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Have they talked to hunters in our communities who understand what that means for migration routes?

    The Last Ice (2020)

  • The flood also destroyed food for birds that use the Mississippi River as a migration route.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Another commonality is that these three affected areas are located near large bodies of water and are on bird migration routes.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The scientists also considered habitats of special importance to marine mammals, such as breeding grounds and migration routes.

    Blog text (13)

  • Elsewhere, wildebeest populations have crashed because people have encroached on their ranges, often fencing off vital migration routes.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Sadly, the Borneo elephant is also on the critically endangered list, suffering from habitat loss, disrupted migration routes, and depleted food sources.

    Academic text (2008)

  • A half-dozen populations or subspecies of red knots exist worldwide, each with its own breeding and wintering zones and migration route.

    Academic text (2010)

  • During the spring, many birds follow the same migration route to their breeding grounds.

Synonyms

route
vsmigration route
∞ 1.0

A road or path people use to travel between places

is the path used by migrating birds or animals during seasons
path
vsmigration route
969 1.0

A way or track that people and things move along for travel

is followed seasonally by migratory birds or animals rather than local users
pathway
vsmigration route
39 2.7

A track made by people or animals that is worn down

is a seasonal corridor used repeatedly for long distance animal movements
flyway
vsmigration route
  • Specialized
2 6.1

A route many birds use when they travel long distances between seasons

is used for seasonal movements of both migratory birds and animals

How Major

flyway
  • Specialized
2 6.1
migration route
2 3.7
route
∞ 1.0
path
969 1.0

Surface Forms

migration route singular
migration routes plural

Morphology

migration + route

The meaning 'the path followed by migratory birds or animals' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'migration' (seasonal movement) with 'route' (path). This straightforward noun+noun composition is cross-linguistically common and would be immediately inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Migration route comes from the simple image of animals using the same 'road' every season; birds, fish, or herds travel along a repeatable path year after year. Here migration is the regular seasonal movement and route is the road or path, so the phrase means 'the path animals regularly follow'.