Precocial
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /pɹɪˈkəʊ.ʃəl/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Precocial is an adjective meaning (ornithology) Hatched from the egg already covered in down and with eyes open; capable of leaving the nest within a few days.
Meaning
(ornithology) Hatched from the egg already covered in down and with eyes open; capable of leaving the nest within a few days.
Example Sentences
Being precocial, shorebird chicks leave the nest soon after hatching to forage by themselves, but, as they are not yet homeothermic, they lose body heat while foraging and must be rewarmed by their parents at regular intervals.
Antonyms for precocial
Common opposites include altricial.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include superprecocial, prehatched, prehatching, precocious, prelay, prelaying.
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.