候鸟

候鳥
hòuniǎo
noun #36,217

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 migratory bird

Examples

HSK 3
Qiūtiān dào le, hòuniǎo kāishǐ xiàng nán fēi.
Autumn has arrived, and the migratory birds are starting to fly south.
HSK 7-9
Zhè piàn shīdì shì hòuniǎo de zhòngyào qīxīdì.
This wetland is an important habitat for migratory birds.

Tips

memory
here means 'season' (as in 气候 'climate' or 时候 'time/season'), not 'to wait'. So 候鸟 = 'season bird', a bird that follows the seasons. The opposite is 留鸟 ('stay bird'), a year-round resident species.
culture
Migratory birds are loaded with meaning in Chinese poetry - wild geese (大雁) returning south signal autumn loneliness; swallows (燕子) coming back mark spring's arrival. The phrase 候鸟式 ('migratory-bird-style') is also a modern term for snowbird retirees who winter in Hainan.

Stroke Order

hòu
niǎo