Which statement best defines a precocial bird?

• A. Hatched naked and blind
• B. Hatched feathered and follows its parents shortly after hatching
• C. A fledgling
• D. A brancher

Answer: (B)

In birds, precocial describes those that are relatively mature and mobile almost from hatch. They hatch with feathers, have their eyes open, and can move about, often following their parents shortly after birth and sometimes foraging with minimal help. The statement that best fits this is the one describing a chick that is feathered at hatch and follows its parents soon after. This captures the key idea: being feathered and able to move and stay with parents early on.

The other ideas describe different stages or conditions. Hatched naked and blind refers to altricial species that need extensive parental care after birth. A fledgling is a bird that has already left the nest, which is a later stage and not the immediate, mobile condition of precocial young. A brancher denotes a juvenile that can perch on branches but doesn’t directly define the rapid mobility and early independence that precocial birds show at hatch.