Flyway

[1] An alternative definition is that a flyway is the entire range of a migratory bird, encompassing both its breeding and non-breeding grounds, and the resting and feeding locations it uses while migrating.

[3] The special vulnerability of waterfowl and shorebirds on their international migrations, with their specific needs for suitable wetland stopovers, resulted in the signing of the Ramsar Convention in 1971.

As a result, over 2300 Ramsar sites have been established around the world, many being situated on flyways where they provide the vital habitat needed by the birds on their journeys.

The most common pattern involves flying north in the spring to breed in the temperate parts of the northern hemisphere or the Arctic during summer and returning southward in the autumn to wintering grounds in warmer regions, often on the other side of the equator.

A similar pattern occurs in the southern hemisphere with birds flying south to breed and north to overwinter, but on a much smaller scale.

Flyways tend to avoid obstacles such as mountain ranges and oceans, running parallel to the barriers and following routes along the coast or along major river valleys.

[9][10] The Atlantic Flyway starts in northern Canada and Greenland and follows the East Coast of the United States to the Caribbean Sea, and on to the tropical Central America.

[6] The Asian–East African Flyway starts from the northern breeding grounds of water birds in Siberia and leads across Asia to East Africa.

[6] The Central Asian-Indian Flyway starts from the northern breeding grounds of water birds in Siberia and leads across Asia to the Indian subcontinent.