nidifugous

[nahy-dif-yuh-guh s]

adjective

leaving the nest shortly after hatching.

Compare nidicolous.

Origin of nidifugous

1900–05; < Latin nīd- (stem of nīdus) nest + -i- -i- + fug(ere) to flee, take flight + -ous

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British Dictionary definitions for nidifugous

nidifugous

adjective

(of young birds) leaving the nest very soon after hatching

Word Origin for nidifugous

C19: from Latin nīdus nest + fugere to flee

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012