Bighorn sheep migrate between high mountains, where they are safer from predators, and valleys where there is more food in winter.
Altitudinal migration is a short-distance animal migration from lower altitudes to higher altitudes and back.[1][2] Altitudinal migrants change their elevation with the seasons making this form of animal migration seasonal.[3][4] Altitudinal migration can be most commonly observed in species inhabiting temperate or tropical ecosystems.[3] This behavior is commonly seen among avian species but can also be observed within other vertebrates and some invertebrates.[5][6][7] It is commonly thought to happen in response to climate and food availability changes as well as increasingly due to anthropogenic influence.[5][8] These migrations can occur both during reproductive and non-reproductive seasons.[9]
The patterns of altitudinal migration may be affected by climate change resulting in potentially life-threatening situations for some species.[10] Deforestation can affect the migration corridors of altitudinal migrant and could lead to smaller areas for these species to migrate.[11] Changes in the environment of altitudinally migrating species can also affect seed dispersal.[12]
^Boyle, W. Alice; Conway, Courtney J.; Bronstein, Judith L. (13 July 2013). "Why do some, but not all, tropical birds migrate? A comparative study of diet breadth and fruit preference". Evolutionary Ecology. 25: 219–236. doi:10.1007/s10682-010-9403-4. S2CID7516649.
^ abHobson, Keith A.; Wassenaar, Len I.; Milá, Borja; Lovette, Irby; Dingle, Caroline; Smith, Thomas B. (20 May 2003). "Stable isotopes as indicators of altitudinal distributions and movements in an Ecuadorean hummingbird community". Community Ecology. 136 (2): 302–308. Bibcode:2003Oecol.136..302H. doi:10.1007/s00442-003-1271-y. PMID12756525. S2CID12937433.