Knowra Precociality Precociality Precociality is a developmental pattern in which young are mobile and relatively independent soon after hatching. Precocial young typically have open eyes and functional sensory and locomotor abilities.
Altriciality : A developmental pattern in which newborn or newly hatched young are poorly developed and depend heavily on parental care. It is the contrasting strategy: altricial young hatch helpless rather than mobile and relatively independent.
Precocial bird : A bird whose hatchlings are relatively developed, mobile, and able to leave the nest soon after hatching. Ground-nesting birds such as ducks and shorebirds commonly produce mobile hatchlings.
Embryonic development : The process by which an embryo forms and develops before hatching or birth. Precociality depends on completing more sensory, muscular, and skeletal development before emergence.
Fledging : The stage when a young bird develops the feathers and abilities needed to leave the nest. Precocial chicks leave nesting sites early, though full flight often develops later.
Superprecociality : An extreme form of precocial development in which young are highly capable and independent soon after hatching or birth. It marks the far end of the developmental spectrum beyond ordinary early mobility.
Parental investment : The time, energy, and resources parents devote to producing and raising offspring. Precocial young shift some developmental costs into the egg or gestation before birth.
Anseriformes : The bird order containing ducks, geese, swans, and their relatives. Waterfowl are familiar examples of precocial birds whose chicks follow parents soon after hatching.
Incubation period : The time during which an embryo develops inside an egg before hatching. A longer incubation period can allow more development before a bird hatches.
Nest : A structure or site used by animals for laying eggs and sheltering young. Precocial young often leave the nest soon after hatching, unlike nest-bound altricial young.
Developmental mode : A species' characteristic pattern of offspring development, including maturity and dependence at birth or hatching. Species combine traits in varied ways, so precociality is not a single all-or-nothing condition.
Show all 27