In biology, nidifugous ( , )

organism In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells ( cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fu ...

s are those that leave the

nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ...

shortly after hatching or birth. The term is derived from Latin ''nidus'' for "nest" and ''fugere'', meaning "to flee". The terminology is most often used to describe birds and was introduced by

Lorenz Oken Lorenz Oken (1 August 1779 – 11 August 1851) was a German naturalist, botanist, biologist, and ornithologist. Oken was born Lorenz Okenfuss (german: Okenfuß) in Bohlsbach (now part of Offenburg), Ortenau, Baden, and studied natural history and ...

in 1816. The chicks of birds in many families, such as the

wader 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which ...

, and gamebirds, are usually nidifugous. The opposite of nidifugous organisms are nidicolous ( ; from Latin ''nidus'' "nest" and ''-colus'' "inhabiting") organisms; a nidicolous organism is one which stays at its birthplace for a long time because it depends on its parents for food, protection, and the learning of survival skills. Examples of nidicolous species include

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur ...

s and many species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s. During the life span, the brain of a nidicolous animal expands 8–10 times its initial size; in nidifugous animals, it expands from 1.5 to 2.5 times.

Relation to precociality and altriciality

Two other terms are also used by scientists for related developmental phenomena: ''

altricial In biology, altricial species are those in which the young are underdeveloped at the time of birth, but with the aid of their parents mature after birth. Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the mome ...

'' (relatively undeveloped at birth or hatching; helpless, blind, without feathers or hair, and unable to fend for themselves) and ''

precocial In biology, altricial species are those in which the young are underdeveloped at the time of birth, but with the aid of their parents mature after birth. Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the mome ...

'' (relatively developed at birth or hatching; able to fend for themselves).Ehrlich, P. R., Dobkin, D. S., & Wheye, D. (1988).
The birder's handbook: A field guide to the natural history of North American birds: including all species that regularly breed north of Mexico
'. New York: Simon & Schuster, p. 582 The term ''nidifugous'' is sometimes used synonymously with ''

'', as all nidifugous species are precocial. However, not all precocial birds leave the nest; some may stay at the nest, and are thus considered nidicolous rather than nidifugous. Many

gulls Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari (bird), Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and Skimmer (bird), skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders ...

and terns are precocial but nidicolous. Although there is much overlap between altricial and nidicolous species and most nidicolous animals are altricial, the terms are not identical. All altricial animals are nidicolous by necessity, but an animal may be nidicolous even if it is precocial and fully capable of leaving if needed. Examples of precocious but nidicolous species include many

gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century ...

s and

tern Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated as a subgroup of the family Laridae which includes gulls and skimmers and consists of e ...

References

Animal developmental biology Taxa named by Lorenz Oken {{developmental-biology-stub

Relation to precociality and altriciality

See also

References