Description
B Ornithologists split bird rearing behavior into two groups–altricial birds and precocial birds. Altricial birds, such as robins, eagles, and warblers are fed in the nest by the adults. Adult precocial birds, on the other hand, provide protection and warmth and take their young to places where the chicks have to figure out what is edible and collect it themselves; examples are geese, plovers, and grouse. An indication of altricial birds is that the chicks hatch naked and helpless and stay in the nest, whereas precocial birds hatch covered with fuzzy down and are up and running around in a matter of minutes. This blue grouse hen was providing warmth and protection here in the early morning for her four precocial chicks. After watching me for about ten minutes they all got up, stretched, scratched, and wandered out from under the spruce tree to feed. Location: North America.
