altricial

adjective

al·​tri·​cial al-ˈtri-shəl 

: being hatched or born or having young that are hatched or born in a very immature and helpless condition so as to require care for some time

altricial birds

compare precocial

Examples of altricial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Birth simulations even reveal that even Australopithecus, with a relatively small brain by modern standards, already faced sufficient obstetrical constraint to require the delivery of secondarily altricial infants. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 3 May 2026

Plenty of other creatures give birth even sooner, yielding offspring in a more altricial state. — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Oct. 2022

Robins, bluebirds, hummingbirds and many other birds are altricial. — Jim Robbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022

If birds are born altricial — helpless — clutches tend to be small to accommodate the higher level of care the babies must receive. — Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 29 June 2021

That’s because both marmosets and humans have altricial babies, from the Latin for needing nourishment—meaning offspring that can’t take care of themselves even a tiny bit at the beginning. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 27 Oct. 2020

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Altrices, proposed division of birds having altricial young (plural of Latin altrīc-, altrīx "foster mother, wet nurse," from alere "to nurse, nourish" + -trīx, feminine agent suffix) + -ial — more at old entry 1

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for altricial

• initial
• judicial
• marischal
• official
• simplicial
• surficial
• artificial
• beneficial
• cicatricial
• interstitial
• nonjudicial
• nonofficial