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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
-
The camp is entirely dependent on aid, disrupted after cuts by USAID last year and again by fighting between Syrian and Kurdish forces this February.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Bosch went on to emphasize that the impact the Miss Universe crown could have was dependent on the person wearing it.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The book series, which was created by Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant, followed a group of teenagers — Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias — who discover that the Earth is being secretly taken over by a parasitic alien race known as Yeerks.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2026
-
With over 4,000 species of parasitic flowering plants in the world, there are a lot of incredible species out there.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Not so fast The relationship between carmakers and weapons manufacturing has always been symbiotic.—
Sam Meredith,Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The wild mushrooms enjoy a symbiotic relationship with deadwood.—
Midwest Living,
Midwest Living,
3 Apr. 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 15 Apr. 2026.
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