Winter visitor
A bird which visits a particular area only for the winter and does not breed there, although others of its species may do so. As the British Isles have a milder winter climate than places to the north and east, they play host to many winter visitors from those areas. Some of these birds belong to species which breed in the British Isles, such as the Lapwing Vanellus vanellus and the Starling Sturnus vulgaris, while others are normally known only as winter visitors, such as the Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis and the Brambling Fringilla montifringilla.From Peter Weaver's Birdwatcher's Dictionary
Copyright © 1981 by Peter Weaver