Precious Precocial
"Precocial" and "altricial," two words describing the degree of development in young birds at hatching, are good examples of useful scientific jargon. They save ornithologists from repeatedly using phrases when single words will do. A precocial bird is "capable of moving around on its own soon after hatching." The word comes from the same Latin root as "precocious." Altricial means "incapable of moving around on its own soon after hatchling." It comes from a Latin root meaning "to nourish" a reference to the need for extensive parental care required before fledging in altricial species. If you consult some of the literature we have cited, you may sometimes see the term "nidifugous" used to describe precocial young that leave the nest immediately, and "nidicolous" to describe young that remain in the nest. All nidifugous birds are precocial, but some nidicolous birds are precocial, too-they remain in the nest even though capable of locomotion. web.stanford.edu
Precious Precocial
"Precocial" and "altricial," two words describing the degree of development in young birds at hatching, are good examples of useful scientific jargon. They save ornithologists from repeatedly using phrases when single words will do. A precocial bird is "capable of moving around on its own soon after hatching." The word comes from the same Latin root as "precocious." Altricial means "incapable of moving around on its own soon after hatchling." It comes from a Latin root meaning "to nourish" a reference to the need for extensive parental care required before fledging in altricial species. If you consult some of the literature we have cited, you may sometimes see the term "nidifugous" used to describe precocial young that leave the nest immediately, and "nidicolous" to describe young that remain in the nest. All nidifugous birds are precocial, but some nidicolous birds are precocial, too-they remain in the nest even though capable of locomotion. web.stanford.edu