Imprinting

Lorenz described filial imprinting in geese: newly hatched precocial chicks follow the first moving object they encounter during a critical window (12-36 hours post-hatching), normally their mother. Failure to imprint correctly leads to permanent misdirected social attachment. Sexual imprinting, occurring later in development, shapes mate preferences in adulthood — birds cross-fostered by other species often attempt to mate with that foster species. Understanding imprinting is critical in captive breeding programs, which use isolation rearing or species-appropriate foster parents to ensure birds imprint correctly.