Self starters vs high fliers

If you want to study kids with natural talent, you can learn a lot by studying the duck. It is able to walk a few minutes after it is hatched. It has figured how to swim a few hours later after hatching. The duckling is also able to feed itself, forage or hunt without being taught.   

Birds fall into two categories. The self-starters who gain independence quickly after birth, These birds are termed precocial. The mother bird often needs to lay the egg and incubate the egg. The hatchling will be independent after birth. Some mothers even outsource with the incubation task by ensuring the nest is thermoregulated.   

On the end of the spectrum, there are highly dependent counterparts are called altricial. The hatchlings are born with eyes closed and often without any feathers. They are not able to move much but this is useful as their nest is small. They need regular feeding until they can fly. Yup. Most altricial birds are fliers.