bird of passage
UK /ˌbɜːd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/ · US /ˌbɝd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/ noun
Forms birds of passage
- noun (ornithology) A migratory bird, especially a passage migrant (“a bird that stops somewhere for a short time during a seasonal migration”).
- noun (figuratively) Someone passing through a place and only staying for a short time; an itinerant.
Synonyms
migrant gadabout itinerant peregrinator rambler rover traveller voyager wanderer wayfarer roamer
Etymology
Probably a calque of Middle French oiseau de passage: oiseau (“bird”), passage (“part of a journey or route, passage”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “bird of passage”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details