precocial

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The Word of the Day for August 21 is:

precocial   \prih-KOH-shul\   adjective
     : capable of a high degree of independent activity from 
birth

Example sentence:
     The precocial offspring of many ducks can run, swim, and 
find food for themselves within 36 hours of hatching.

Did you know?
     "Precocial" and its partner "altricial" are really for the 
birds. Well, at least they are often used to describe the young 
of our feathered friends. The chicks of precocial birds can see 
as soon as they hatch and generally have strong legs and a body 
covered with fine down. Those are attributes you would expect in 
birds described by the word "precocial," which traces to the 
Latin "praecox," a term that means "precocious" or "early 
ripening" (yes, that root also gave us the word "precocious"). 
Ducks, geese, ostriches, pheasants, and quail are among the 
birds that hatch precocial offspring. Altricial chicks, on the 
other hand, are basically featherless and helpless at birth and 
require days or weeks of parental care before becoming 
independent.