altricial state

biology

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mammals

oilbirds

  • Male common nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) landing
    In caprimulgiform: Reproduction

    Baby oilbirds are helpless (altricial), hatched blind and virtually naked, with only a little sparse down. They have an exceedingly slow rate of development. A thicker coat of down replaces the initial one after three weeks, and the adult plumage begins to appear at five weeks, there being no…

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parrots

  • Black-capped parakeet (Pyrrhura rupicola)
    In psittaciform: Reproduction

    They are altricial—that is, they are helpless and require complete parental care—and they are also nidicolous—that is, they remain in the nest for some time after hatching. The young are fed by regurgitation, typically by both parents. In some species at least, care of the young may…

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