Imprinting describes a process in which newborn animals rapidly develop a strong attachment to a particular individual, often the mother. It is associated particularly with precocious bird species (species that mature early) such as chickens, ducks, and geese, in which the young hatch fairly well-developed.

Imprinting is advantageous because once offspring imprint on their mother, they will try to remain close to her and follow her around, behaviors that are beneficial in terms of the offspring's survival. The young also indicate distress when the mother is absent.

Imprinting was one of the first matters tackled by the field of ethology. Konrad Lorenz, one of the founders of ethology, studied imprinting to determine what controls and limits the behavior associated with imprinting. Lorenz showed that newly hatched birds imprint on practically any moving object to which they are close during their first day of life.

In natural conditions, of...