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
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
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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
Dictionary Entries Near altricial
Cite this Entry
“Altricial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altricial. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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