Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Hatched or born with the eyes open, a covering of down or hair, and the ability to search for food. Used of birds and mammals.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Of or pertaining to the Præcoces; having the characters of the Præcoces: opposed to altricial.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective zoology, of birds
hatched from theegg already covered indown and witheyes open; capable of leaving thenest within a few days
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective (of hatchlings) covered with down and having eyes open; capable of leaving the nest within a few days
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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A newborn from a so-called precocial species -- one that isn't utterly helpless without its parents -- learns to recognize its parents 'traits in a process known as filial imprinting.
Informed Reader 2007
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Of course there were surely also many species which were precocial, but I can also imagine that especially quadrupede dinosaurs like small sauropods probably looked very clumsy when they tried to make their first walk.
Joy in the Farmyard James Gurney 2010
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Instead, they are precocial, which means that shortly after hatching they are able to leave the nest and feed themselves.
David Mizejewski: Turkeys Are True Animal Oddities David Mizejewski 2010
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Instead, they are precocial, which means that shortly after hatching they are able to leave the nest and feed themselves.
David Mizejewski: Turkeys Are True Animal Oddities David Mizejewski 2010
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Instead, they are precocial, which means that shortly after hatching they are able to leave the nest and feed themselves.
David Mizejewski: Turkeys Are True Animal Oddities David Mizejewski 2010
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Like its opposite, the altricial strategy employed by creatures such as humans and songbirds, who are born naked and helpless, the precocial strategy was sculpted by eons of adaptation to food and predators.
Birdology Sy Montgomery 2010
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Instead, they are precocial, which means that shortly after hatching they are able to leave the nest and feed themselves.
David Mizejewski: Turkeys Are True Animal Oddities David Mizejewski 2010
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Instead, they are precocial, which means that shortly after hatching they are able to leave the nest and feed themselves.
David Mizejewski: Turkeys Are True Animal Oddities David Mizejewski 2010
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Instead, they are precocial, which means that shortly after hatching they are able to leave the nest and feed themselves.
David Mizejewski: Turkeys Are True Animal Oddities David Mizejewski 2010
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Instead, they are precocial, which means that shortly after hatching they are able to leave the nest and feed themselves.
David Mizejewski: Turkeys Are True Animal Oddities David Mizejewski 2010
reesetee commented on the word precocial
Birds who are covered with down and capable of moving about when hatched. Used to describe wading birds and domestic fowl. Opposite of altricial.
October 13, 2007
bilby commented on the word precocial
See also autophagi.
June 21, 2022