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Recent Examples of precocial
The embryos could develop into precocial hatchlings — young that were born at an advanced stage and capable of independent survival without parental milk or feeding.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
Hares are also born fully furred and with their eyes open, a trait called precocial, whereas rabbits are born hairless, blind, and vulnerable, needing more parental care in the early stages of life.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Ducks are what scientists call precocial birds — capable of feeding, swimming and walking soon after hatching.
—New York Times, 22 June 2022
Godwits and most other ground nesters, on the other hand, are precocial birds.
—Jim Robbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
Game birds, precocial, have larger clutches because the young, feathered and out of the nest upon hatching, are more subject to predation.
—Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 29 June 2021
The opposite are precocial birds, birds that hatch with feathers and are mobile and ready to go shortly after emerging from the egg.
—Anna Thomas Bates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 28 June 2017
Comparison with avian brain evolution suggests that placental brain size should be constrained due to placentals’ relative precociality, as has been hypothesized for precocial bird hatchlings.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 Sep. 2010
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
Hares are also born fully furred and with their eyes open, a trait called precocial, whereas rabbits are born hairless, blind, and vulnerable, needing more parental care in the early stages of life.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Ducks are what scientists call precocial birds — capable of feeding, swimming and walking soon after hatching.
—New York Times, 22 June 2022
Godwits and most other ground nesters, on the other hand, are precocial birds.
—Jim Robbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
Game birds, precocial, have larger clutches because the young, feathered and out of the nest upon hatching, are more subject to predation.
—Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 29 June 2021
The opposite are precocial birds, birds that hatch with feathers and are mobile and ready to go shortly after emerging from the egg.
—Anna Thomas Bates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 28 June 2017
Comparison with avian brain evolution suggests that placental brain size should be constrained due to placentals’ relative precociality, as has been hypothesized for precocial bird hatchlings.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 Sep. 2010
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precocial
Adjective
-
Much of Boston’s tourism scene—which is most visitors’ first exposure to the state of Massachusetts—is dependent on folks like Lepage to keep New England’s centuries-old history relevant for a modern-day audience.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
As Hafley previously said, the requirements of the position are down dependent and based solely on his response, Johnson could fit the bill.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The parasitic bug resembling a housefly lays its eggs inside living animals like livestock, and the maggots hatched from those eggs burrow into their hosts and eat them alive.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
29 May 2026
-
But the insects are parasitic, with a preference for drinking blood from the face — especially the lips and eyes.—
Eva Flowe
May 29,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Forty-eight days, 16 hours, 57 minutes and 12 seconds after a virus transforms humanity into a blissful symbiotic horde, one of its survivors, Carol (Rhea Seehorn), treats a rooftop as a personal driving range — the golf balls shattering a neighboring building’s windows.—
Daron James,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
The French and American film industries have always been symbiotic, if also a little antagonistic.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Defendants contest only that CASA has not satisfied the first requirement for such associational standing.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Precocial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precocial. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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