precocial
/prɪˈkəʊʃ(ə)l
/Zoology
adjective
1(Of a young bird or other animal) hatched or born in an advanced state and able to feed itself almost immediately. Also called nidifugous. Often contrasted with altricial.Young in precocial birds that are fed by their parents also engage in vocal and postural begging displays....
- The young are precocial and are tended by both parents.
- Males leave the females soon after incubation begins, and females provide uniparental care for precocial young.
1.1(Of a particular species) having precocial young.Lack proposed that for species with precocial young, mean clutch size is determined by the average amount of nutrients available to females at the time of egg production....
- We predicted that species with precocial newborn should have synchronized births as an antipredator strategy.
Origin
Late 19th century: from modern Latin Praecoces (the name of a former division of birds, plural of Latin praecox 'mature before its time') + -ial.