Animal Migration Word Search (Free Printable + Answer Key)

This Animal Migration word search is a fun fall classroom activity for 2nd–6th grade students, featuring words like Migrate, Monarch, Geese, and Hummingbird. Free printable worksheet with answer key included.

Word List

MIGRATE: To move from one region to another with the seasons, often to find food or warmer weather.
MONARCH: An orange and black butterfly. Eastern monarchs fly up to 3,000 miles to spend the winter in the mountains of central Mexico.
GEESE: Large water birds, like Canada geese, that fly south in fall, often in a V shape.
HUMMINGBIRD: A very small, fast bird. Ruby-throated hummingbirds fly south each fall, some nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico.
SALMON: A fish that hatches in a river, lives in the ocean, and returns upstream to the same river to lay eggs.
CARIBOU: A large deer of the Arctic, called reindeer in Europe. Some herds migrate more than 1,000 miles a year.
FLYWAY: A route that migrating birds use year after year. North America has four major flyways.
INSTINCT: A behavior an animal knows without being taught. Young birds often migrate by instinct on their first trip.
NAVIGATE: To find the way to a place. Animals navigate using the sun, the stars, landmarks, and Earth's magnetic field.
FORMATION: An arrangement or pattern. Flying in a V formation helps birds save energy on long trips.

About Animal Migration

Every fall, millions of animals migrate, traveling long distances to find warmer weather, food, or places to raise their young. Monarch butterflies fly as far as central Mexico, geese head south in V shapes, and caribou cross the Arctic. Scientists are still learning how animals navigate using the sun, stars, and Earth's magnetic field.

Animal Migration Vocabulary

This word search covers migration vocabulary: what it means to MIGRATE, famous travelers like the MONARCH, GEESE, HUMMINGBIRD, SALMON, and CARIBOU, and how animals NAVIGATE along a FLYWAY using INSTINCT.

How to Use This Word Search in Class

Use this word search with a map activity. Have students trace one animal's migration route and measure its distance, then compare it with a trip they have taken.

Printable Animal Migration Word Search Worksheet

Click the print button to print this animal migration word search. The printable version includes the puzzle grid and word list, perfect for classroom handouts or homework.

Try the Crossword Version

Animal Migration Crossword

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