What animal migration term means seasonal movement between lower and higher elevations?

Altitudinal migration is the seasonal movement of animals between lower and higher elevations. It is especially common in mountain habitats, where birds and other animals track changing food, weather and breeding conditions along an elevation gradient.

Many species move uphill for breeding and return to lower elevations during the non-breeding season, although the direction and timing vary. Tropical examples include frugivorous birds that follow seasonal fruit abundance; temperate examples include American robins, mountain chickadees and American dippers. Roe deer, bighorn sheep and mountain goats also make seasonal elevational movements.

This term is easy to confuse with ordinary range shifts or long-distance migration. Altitudinal migration specifically involves a recurring seasonal change in elevation, often over a relatively short horizontal distance. Deforestation can sever the forest corridors connecting lowlands and mountains, while climate change can shift the timing of resource peaks and push species toward higher, cooler habitats.