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Flyway
Encyclopedia
A flyway is a flight path used in bird migration
. Flyways generally span over continent
s and often ocean
s.
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
. Flyways generally span over continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
s and often ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
s.
Flyways of the Americas
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- Atlantic FlywayAtlantic FlywayThe Atlantic Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Atlantic Coast of North America and the Appalachian Mountains. The main endpoints of the flyway include the Canadian Maritimes and the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico; the migration route tends to narrow considerably in...
- Central FlywayCentral FlywayThe Central Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Great Plains in the United States and Canada. The main endpoints of the flyway include central Canada and the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico; the migration route tends to narrow considerably in the Platte River and...
- Mississippi FlywayMississippi FlywayThe Mississippi Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Mississippi River in the United States and the Mackenzie River in Canada. The main endpoints of the flyway include central Canada and the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico...
- Pacific FlywayPacific FlywayThe Pacific Flyway is a major north-south route of travel for migratory birds in America, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading to breeding grounds, or travelling to...
- Allegheny FrontAllegheny FrontThe Allegheny Front is the major southeast- or east-facing escarpment in the Allegheny Mountains in southern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and eastern West Virginia, USA. The Allegheny Front delineates the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians to its east from the Appalachian Plateau to its west...
Flyways of Eurasia, Africa, and Australasia
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- African-Eurasian flyways
- East Atlantic FlywayEast Atlantic FlywayThe East Atlantic Flyway is a migration route used by about 90 million birds annually, passing from their breeding areas in United States Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Siberia and northern Europe to wintering areas in western Europe and on to southern Africa. It is one of the eight major flyways used...
- Black Sea-Mediterranean Flyway
- West Asian-East African Flyway
- East Atlantic Flyway
- Central Asian FlywayCentral Asian FlywayThe Central Asian Flyway has also been referred to as the Central Asian-Indian Flyway and the Central Asian-South Asian Flyway. It covers a large continental area of Eurasia between the Arctic Ocean and the Indian Ocean and the associated island chains...
- East Asian - Australasian FlywayEast Asian - Australasian FlywayThe East Asian–Australasian Flyway is one of the world's great flyways. At its northernmost it stretches eastwards from the Taimyr Peninsula in Russia to Alaska. Its southern end encompasses Australia and New Zealand. Between these extremes the Flyway covers much of eastern Asia, including China,...
- West Pacific FlywayWest Pacific FlywayThe West Pacific Flyway is a bird migration route that stretches from New Zealand and the east coast of Australia, northwards through the central Pacific Ocean, including Papua New Guinea, eastern Indonesia and the Philippines, the east coast of northern Asia, including Japan and the Korean...
External links
- North American Bird Migration Flyways
- Wings Over Wetlands, UNEP-GEF African-Eurasian Flyways Project
- Flyways.us - A collaborative effort of waterfowl managers across the continent