precocial

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of precocial 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precocial
Adjective
  • Not surprisingly, the latter is highly dependent on the former, industry experts say.
    Marco della Cava, USA Today, 19 May 2025
  • The new law made married women dependent citizens; their citizenship status was now entirely derived from that of their husbands.
    Time, Time, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • After all, these predators inhabit deep, cold, dark waters — some as frigid as 30°F (-1.1°C) and as deep as 9,800 feet (3,000 meters) — and many have parasitic copepods attached to their corneas and sometimes even their butts.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
  • The uncertainty of global tariffs, exploding trade war with China, and endless attacks on European nations as parasitic leeches on the U.S. economy mark the demise of the trans-Atlantic alliance.
    Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • When structured thoughtfully, internships—especially in creative fields—create symbiotic relationships, offering new graduates and current college students alike real-world exposure while providing employers with fresh perspectives and potential future hires.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
  • The nonprofit groups that manage these trails all depend, to varying degrees, on federal funds and symbiotic relationships with federal organizations such as the United States Forest Service and National Park Service.
    Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 12 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Precocial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precocial. Accessed 27 May. 2025.

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