Robin Egg Blue
By Corey • May 6, 2007 • 87 commentsI recently took a walk off-trail at Papscanee Island, taking advantage of deer trails to find my way through the thick brush. I was startled by an American Robin flushing from directly in front of me, not more than three feet away. A closer look at the location the bird flushed from revealed this:
After quickly taking a couple of pictures while the robin cluck-clucked her displeasure I retreated and waited for a few minutes, guarding against cowbirds, until the robin returned to the nest.
Good luck, egg!
And a question: If I hadn’t seen any robins today but stumbled upon the nest without seeing the robin that had just flown off, and identified the egg as a robin’s, could I count robin on my day-list?
an American Robin building a nest at Alley Pond Park in April
I found American Robin eggs on the ground not cracked. If you know anything about hatching them please email me back.
@Klarrissa: If they weren’t in a nest, but were just lying on the ground, odds are they’re done for.
I found robin eggs but how do I get them to hatch? I have a light over it. I am a 16 year old. I can’t find incubator
@carlie: Unfortunately, they are not going to hatch…unless you took them directly from the nest which would be illegal and wrong. Like I told Klarissa above if you find them on the ground they have probably gotten too cold to ever hatch…or maybe the parents dumped the eggs when other eggs in the nest hatched.
I have a Robin that recently laid 4 blue eggs that have hatched. The nest is right outside of my back door in a tall bush. We are very excited about this nest. The nest has been in this location since last year. The Robin laid 3 blue eggs last year. Those eggs did not hatch she moved two of the eggs and left one which eventually turned grey. However, the nest remained in the same place. The Robin used the same nest this year by adding more straw, etc. to the old nest. I am going to try and take daily pictures to see their growth.
Hey are you sure they wont hatch because i think mine is still alive. i found it yesterday outside in the grass and i’ve been keeping it warm. is there anything i can do?
i am in canada and i found 2 blue robin eggs i was wondering if someone can tell me how to hatch them
About two days ago I had found a robin nest with one egg in my parents bedroom windowsill and for the past two days the mother has been laying eggs daily. They are so cute I love to look at them but when me and my parents enter the mother gets scared and flies away do you know how I can prevent that?
how can you keep a egg warm without a light or is it impossible?
@Jostra: My advice would be to leave the light in the room off and move slowly and carefully into the room, without making sudden moves or loud noises. If the presence of people consistently drive the bird off the nest please cover the window with a blind or a shade and let the bird be.
@traylen: I suppose you could try sitting on it.
But seriously, I have no idea how else one could keep an egg warm without a mother bird.
hi i found a a nest with three robin eggs on the grouund what do i do
@Kassidy: Odds are it is too late to do anything. I suppose you could try to put it back in the bush/tree it fell from.
the branches are too high to reach can i do anything for the eggs.
I found a robins egg laying on the ground not cracked. It wasn’t there five minutes before I was outside. Another one was laying on the ground but was cracked and you could tell it hadn’t been there long. The inner egg was ooging out. How does this come about, an egg or more on the ground. Did the mother lay them on purpose there or did she misjudge getting to the nest on time? Also is it possible that she knew that they were unhealthy eggs? Does anyone know the answer?
@Diane: Odds are a predator snagged the eggs from the nest and dropped them. Laying an egg is not like going to the bathroom: a bird is not going to misjudge the time needed to get to the nest.
Yesterday I found a freshly laid egg in my hanging flower basket. I brought the flowers in to stay warm without realizing it was there until today. I set the flowers back out today and now I brought them in again tonight. Is it possible the egg will live? I have a birds nest that a bird had created last year in the same basket. Will that help?
@alexis: I have no idea if the egg will live. Without the care of a parent bird I doubt it. A nest won’t help unless there is a parent to care for the egg.
Thanks for that information. I did not know that.
a friend saw a branch fall from a tree and discovered 2 robin eggs in a nest and gave them to me i’m keeping them in a nest of cotton a little over them w/ a lamp and damp cotton near for humidity, is it possible they’ll hatch? it took my friend a night to get them to me does that mean its too late
@Diane: No problem!
@sara: It is not very likely that you will get the eggs to hatch, and, even if you did, are you really up for feeding the baby birds non-stop for weeks? Odds are that the adult robins have already started on a new nest so don’t worry too much about if the eggs you have hatch or not.
Uhh, I had robins on my balcony last year and everything was fine. In the winter when they all left the nest it blew away. Now they came back and built a new nest, (it’s the same robins, I can tell). I put a birdfeeder outside near the nest about a day before they finished the nest (not because they were there).
Recently there’s been alot of squirrels and grackles outside eating the food, I’ve tried to shoo them away so the littler “good” birds can eat it, but I haven’t seen the robins since they finished the nest.
I think they may of left cause of all the traffic.
Today I found a robin egg on the ground, so I took it inside till it was warm and I went out back and put it in the nest. I doubt this is the same egg and I also doubt it’s still alive, but do you think the robins will come back to the nest if they see it?
Also, should I take the birdfeeder away?
@Jazz: Odds are the robins abandoned the nest because what had been a nice quiet balcony suddenly became flooded with nest-predators (both squirrels and grackles will raid nests and eat eggs and nestlings). So, yes, if you want the chance of robins nesting on your balcony then you should take the feeder down.
I do not think robins will come back to the nest because an egg is in it. My bet is that once they abandoned the nest they went elsewhere and made a new one.
And, if I may ask a question of you…how do you know that they are the same robins as last year?
how long does it take for a robin egg to hatch?
I just found a robin egg on the ground. The egg has no crack in it. And, there is no tree near by. Is it natures way for it not to survive? Or is there anyway i can help this bird? I really want to try to save it’s life. Please respond asap! Thanks!
@Nicole: Google “American Robin” and you will find your answer.
@Olivia: The egg is most likely done for. You can try to keep it warm but unless you think you are up for feeding a baby bird for a month after it hatches (if it hatches) you shouldn’t even try. There are plenty of robins and one more or less isn’t going to hurt.
Thanks for your help.
We have a robin’s nest and I’ve been monitoring it for about a week and a half. She laid about an egg a day until there were four eggs, then suddenly one was gone. The next day only one was left. I saw nothing on the ground around the nest. I’m thinking a predator, but wouldn’t they eat all the eggs?
how long does it take for a robin to hatch?
@Olivia: No problem.
@Elizabeth: If you’ve ever left food on your plate you would know how a predator feels. Sometimes you just can’t eat everything that’s available!
@alexandra: 12-14 days.
Well, you see, the robins last year had a few features that were pretty easy to recognize, it’s hard to explain. The mother bird looked a bit “ugly” might I say and also she had a tan-colored spot on one of her eyes.
Update: I’ve noticed that an old abandoned sparrow’s nest from last year (near the robin’s nest) is getting bigger, and yesterday I saw a robin fly up there, so I’m not really sure now.
Thanks for the info by the way.
I found a robin’s egg on the ground and located the nest. I thought I felt slight movement in the egg in my palm when I stayed still for a few minutes. I rinsed it gently, lukewarm and put it back in the nest. I hope it’s okay, I wanted your opinion on how I handled things. …at the very least I gave it a second chance if it was indeed alive.
Well, a robin built her nest out on a ledge where my mother had her climbing roses near our front door and aside from her freaking out whenever we left the house during the day everything was fine. Pretty soon she had laid four eggs in the nest and my dad told us not to bother him. So for once we listened and left the eggs alone but one day my mom came home from work and she said she didn’t see the bird out there. Later that night we checked and she still wasn’t around so we decided to wait and see if she had gone for good. Noon the next day and still no birdie, she was probably eaten by one of the many neighborhood cats. . . They were in the nest the whole time and now they’re under a light in my room. Can they still make it after being without the mother for a day and a half?
@Jazz: Thanks for the explanation and good luck!
@Tiffany: It was certainly a good deed to put the egg back in the nest. Washing it off was probably unnecessary but I doubt you did any harm. Let us know if you see nestlings or fledglings please…
@Loki: I am certainly not expert on such things but if the eggs hatch (which, in my non-expert opinion, is unlikely after at least a day and a half without care) you will EXTREMELY busy trying to feed four baby birds. If I were in your position I would google search for a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area and ask them for advice should the unlikely happen and the eggs hatch. Good luck and let us hear how things work out.
I have found a few robins eggs in a nearby yard (nearly run over by lawnmower) I have kept them heated but after a few days they turned gray, is that bad?
@John: Odds are they were already done for when you found them (on the ground). The fact that they have turned gray means that they are certainly dead.
yesterday when i was walking my dog i found a little robin egg on the ground. It had no cracks at all, and it was still pretty warm. I looked around but i didnt see any nests around, so i brought it home. I put it in a nest that i found last year in my yard wrapped in paper towels under a light. But the light isnt directly upon it, because i didnt want to cook the egg. And last night a left the light off, first off because i didnt want to burn my house down, and second because it must get cold at night outside. was that the wrong thing to do? is the egg going to live? how long does it take to hatch? aww i feel bad.
A robin built a nest in my wreath on my front door. I’ve been watching the activity for the last 4 weeks. noticed baby birds in the nest. looked closer and saw 4 large baby birds. got my camera to take a picture and when I snapped the pic one of the baby birds flew/fell out of the nest to the ground. I put gloves on and attempted to put it back in the nest but it would not stay. it kept jumping out of nest so I just left it alone. i noticed the parent robin staying close to it on the ground and also noticed that she has not been back on the nest with the other 3 birds since the one fell. will she stay with the one on the ground or go back to care for the 3 left in the nest or both?
Hi-I had a robin lay 5 eggs in a nest in my hanging fern on my porch. Yesterday we saw at least 4 birds making noises and nose dives for the nest. But then we saw the mother sitting on the nest. Today the nest was abandoned with only 1 egg in it. There wasn’t any sign of ooz or shells from the other eggs…could the other birds have eaten the 4 eggs? Could it have been a snake? Why would a predator leave one egg? And would the mother not still stay with the last egg? Any input would be appreciated. My children and I feel like we have quite a mystery.
I had three eggs that I have been watching and two of them got ate.One of them are hatching are the beak is sticking out. After the beak is sticking out how long till they fully hatch.Help please Im only 11.
The egg isn’t dead whenever you find the mother not being in it. She is probably out of the nest, finding food to build up its energy.
@Taylor: Once you find an egg on the ground the odds are that it is already dead or will die no matter what you do. So don’t worry about it.
@Nancy: I don’t know what the mother robin will do. Hopefully, all four youngsters will survive.
@Ellen: Many predators will take eggs if they have the chance. It might have been one of quite a few bird species, a snake, or a host of other creatures. And the predator could have gotten full or been startled before it finished all of the eggs (or the robin could have started laying again, in which case she probably wouldn’t incubate full time until she was done laying).
@Hogan: I’m sure that you have already figured this out by now but once the young start hatching the process gets done pretty quickly.
@Lauren: I don’t think anyone implied that.
We have a nest of 4 robin eggs. One egg hatch a week ago and other 3 nothing. How can you tell if the eggs are dead? Will the mother dump them out?
@Lynn: If they don’t hatch soon I imagine they won’t. But don’t interfere, of course, let nature take its course.
We had a nest outside our window in a bush for the last 2 weeks. The mother robin has been sitting on the 4 eggs diligently. Today we left home for a few hours and we we came back–no eggs or mother. What could have happened. We were hoping to see baby birds any day.
@Andrea: Odds are a predator got to the eggs and with the eggs gone there is no reason for the robin to stick around.
in my backyard, on my swing set, i found a robin nest with 3 hatched babies in it. There was also one unhatched egg. How do i know if it’s still alive or not? and i heard before that if there was too many babies in the nest then the mom will push them out. Is that true? and if it is than what should i do?
@Sarah: If the egg doesn’t hatch for several days you’ll know it is not a viable egg.
I have never heard of a robin pushing out a nestling. If it did happen you don’t have to do anything, just let nature take its course.
Hi…I know absolutely nothing about birds, but there is a bright red bird that has now twice built a nest in a fairly low bush in my backyard. I assume it is a red Robin because this year the eggs are small and white with brown speckles. Anyway, last year we never knew it was there until we found two tiny dead birds in our yard and one that the dog brought in our house. The nest was still intact, but the birds had fallen out somehow. I assume our dogs jumped on the bush when they heard the chirping and knocked that out because they all looked newly hatched. Now the Robins(?) have built another nest in the same bush and I’m afraid it will happen again. I have 8 dogs who play in the back and there are cats that roam the neighborhood in the front. I was wondering if the mother would reject them if I moved the nest to a safer place in our backyard that the dogs can’t reach. Otherwise…I am certain these little guys are doomed to the same fate as the last ones. Thanks for your help.
I have a robins nest in an apple tree the sprinklers are off it now but it was bothering her a bit the 3 eggs are my favourite things but one went missing magpies are common around, how can i help her i fell like i have to save them how!
@Lauri: A bright red bird would not really describe a robin (unless you are in Europe). Maybe a cardinal? And moving the nest might work but it might not. It is technically illegal to mess about with a bird’s nest in the U.S. but it seems that you are trying to save the birds…
@Sarah: Just let nature take its course. It is not your job nor your responsibility to make sure that robin eggs hatch and if you try to stop magpies from getting te eggs you might be dooming young magpies to going hungry!
I have a robins nest outside under my porch. I’ve noticed that the mother disappears at night. Why does the mother leave the nest at night? They have been there for a week, and I saw 4 eggs.
@James: I have no idea.
If you google American Robins, you can find very detailed information. Cardinals are bright red and lay white eggs with brownish spots. As to all the people who are asking about messing with the eggs and nests, etc, I highly recommend leaving it all alone. It is a general rule in nature (in the wild) that if you mess with the young, the parents reject it after that. Often birds or wild animals will not go back to their young after a human has contact with them, which leaves the babies helpless. Also, about all the questions where you don’t see the mother return, we have a Robin’s next right by our front door. Any time anyone walks near it, the mother leaves the nest and hides. She knows we aren’t messing with her babies, so she doesn’t feel we are a threat. Sometimes if we look around long enough, we can spot her hiding under a bush, up in a tree, or way up on the roof. However, she never returns to the nest while we are around. As soon as we leave, she goes back and tends to her babies. Again, I highly recommend leaving nests/babies/eggs alone and searching the internet as opposed to asking in here about things.
@SF: We here at 10,000 Birds agree that folks should leave nests, eggs, and young birds alone, as my answers indicate. However, the idea that birds reject young or eggs after they have been handled is an old wife’s tale that needs to be stamped out. The reason to leave nests/eggs/young alone is because it is the right thing to do.
I am so angry with myself!! I cut down a large bush that was in my front yard today. While I was trying to cut it into smaller pieces I noticed a nest. After further inspection I noticed that something was alive in it! My heart commpletely sank and I tried to free the nest from the fallen bush. When I freed the nest, there were 3 baby Robins in there! Fortunatley I was able to take the nest and place it in a nearby tree. I believe the mother saw me because she eventually flew over to the new location! I have read that Robins abandon the nest if it’s location is chaged. Do you think because the mother Robin located the nest and new location that these babies have a chance? My fiance and I feel terrible.
@Chris: I think that if the mother has found the new nest location all should be fine. You might want to keep an eye out (from a distance) and see if both parents are still feeding the young, and it might not hurt to make sure that the nest is firmly attached in its new location (it would suck to go to all that trouble to discover the nest blown down after a windstorm!). And don’t beat yourself up about the situation…you meant no harm, you have tried to mitigate the harm you did do, and there are lots of robins!
I found a robins egg and I contacted a Wildlife center and they said to check if its still alive you should go in a dark room and shine a flashlight under it and see if it is moving or has a ring of blood around it. If it has blood then its dead. But if it might be alive then you should try to keep it at about 80 degrees. I am using a heating pad on low and a thermomater. If it hatches than you should take it to a wildlife center. I used a place called Lindsey Wildlife Center. They won’t take some birds like blackbirds, though, because they aren’t native and harm environments. Some of the volunteers will take them home personaly though, so you might try it.
i 2 days ago there was a small american robin nest in my backyard it grew bigger over 2 nights but i never saw the mother finally i saw the mother robin sitting on the nest when she got off that evening i checked the nest there was 1 egg the next day there was a total of 2 eggs the mother took great care of them also in the tree next to it there was a cardnial nest with 2 eggs in it the mother took great care of that too in the next few days i went up 2 check both nests all of the eggs were gone in the cardnial nest and there was only 1 left in the robin nest the mom hasnt come back in 2 days what should i do i put gloves on and looked in side the egg i see the embryo and i might see veins i really dont know wut they look like can you describe them? i think and hope it is alive what should i do what could have happened to both the parents and 3 of the 4 eggs? i havent seen the parents or any eggs or egg shells scence. ps the last egg left is blue not grey at all
@carley: it was most likely a predator. You should do nothing because even if the egg is viable getting it to hatch is difficult and then raising a baby bird more work than you can imagine. There are plenty of robins and cardinals out there and one more or less won’t hurt the species as a whole. Also, it is against federal law to mess with a migratory bird’s eggs or nest.
I( have a robin’s nest in my back yard. The Ronbins use the sam,e nest every year. I think it might be the baby birds form the year prior coming back. Anyway, I have never had a problem with losing any eggs to predators or the parents suddnenly disappearing and leaving the little eggs to get cold and not hatch. but I can tell you, I watch the Robin parents take care of their 4 nestlings. The two of them spent ALL DAY flying around getting food for them. The birds were eating literally every 15 minutes or so. ALL. DAY. LONG. Not only that but I had no idea how the nest was being kept clean. I mean they have to poop someplace right? Apparently, like all babies, mom (or dad), cleans their little butts. The baby birds would stick their butts in the air and squeeze out a poop which the mom/dad would grab with their beak and fly away with it. I guess they had a place they’d go to drop it.
At anyrate - taking care of even one little bird would be a ton of work. I’d leave it alone. You could make matters worse or add to the poor little things suffering because it would die slowly and not quickly at the hands of a predator. Put it back in it’s nest or if the nest is abandoned, let it be. Survival of the fittest…
Im 11 years old and there was recently had a wind storm and the bird egg fell out off the nest.I have been keeping it under a light and turning it every day.When i hold it up to a light i can see the shadow of the bird.I think its alive but is there any other way to tell if it is?
@Angela: If it hatches you will know. Seriously though, it probably is not alive and if it is you have a ton of work ahead of you trying to keep a voracious young bird alive.
What does voracious mean?
I removed a robin’s nest in the corner of my back deck after the babies hatched and flew away. When I looked a week later there was a new nest made in exactly the same spot. Could it be the same mother robin that built the new nest?
@Angela: Look it up.
@Nancy: Yes, yes it could be. It could also be a different bird, but it does seem more likely to be the same one.
Two weeks ago we discovered a Robins nest under our patio umbrella. Something that appeared only a few days prior. The nest is very well protected by the male and female Robin. One sits on the pool fence while the other is sitting in the nest. The other day, a Blue Jay was heading towards the nest when out of nowhere, two Robins attack it. It was amazing to watch these birds protect their own.
Since the nest is high inside the umbrella we can’t see if eggs have yet been hatched. How long does the process of laying the eggs and hatching take?
@Jennifer: It takes about a month from laying to fledging.
Thanks Corey. I guess the nest was there a little longer than I thought. Three little chicks popped their heads up this morning. So cute.
I found a singular robin’s egg today. There was no nest in the tree above it. How do you think the egg got there?
It probably flew…
Seriously though, in all likelihood a predator that stole the egg probably dropped it.
How long does it take a robin’s egg to hatch after it breaks through initially? I know it takes 12-14 days to hatch.
@Christi: Not very long, probably a matter of hours at most.
Thank you Corey.
Hi, we’ve had a robin’s nest in our grill since the spring. At first there were 2 eggs in it, but we accidentally left the grill up and had a soaking rain, and later found the 2 eggs on the ground. We didn’t know if the mother decided they were ‘contaminated’ by us or what. Anyway, we’ve had 4 eggs in the same next, still in the grill for about 3 weeks to a month. We’ve obviously been unable to use the grill because I want to let the little guys have a chance - is it too late? From the previous postings it seems like it only takes about 2 weeks. The mother still goes to check on them, because when I open the back door, she flies away. What should I do?
@Angie: If all four eggs have been in the grill for 3 weeks to a month than I would imagine that they are done for. They should, as you mentioned, hatch within two weeks. Looks like these are some seriously unlucky robin parents! I would say that if you don’t have urgent 4th of July barbecue plans to give them another day or two just in case you miscounted the number of weeks but I wouldn’t feel bad, were I you, in just going ahead and cleaning out the nest.
And, just as a point of information, robins will not toss eggs because of a fear of contamination from people: most likely they were recognized as not viable after being inundated (or a predator might have moved them).
Good - I was starting to take their failure to hatch personally! I’ll give them another week. Thanks for the info.!
I’m sure you’re tired of repeating yourself with the answers to “I found a robin’s egg. . . ” But… this morning I found a robin’s egg that was whole. There is absolutely no nest around, it wasn’t their earlier and I actually think the snotty neighbor kid removed it from where ever he found it, as last week he was caught tossing the eggs in his yard.
I’ve kept the robin’s egg outside most the day since it was hot but as night grew it got colder so I brought it inside and have placed it on my laptop’s battery charger which gets pretty warm and turning it over every 45 mins. Just a few minutes ago, it moved from it’s pretty secure space. Not the first time but when it happened earlier I figured I bumped it. But when it occurred a third time I am thinking I may have a bird on my hands sometime soon.
I’ve got a number and address for a wildlife rehabber that is 3 hours away, I will call tomorrow or call the local Park Authority to see if they have any ideas but until that time is there anything more I should do aside from keeping it warm and turning it over?
We found a robin’s nest in a flower pot in the back yard, and now 2 of 3 egs have hatched. I expect the 3rd to hatch any day now, but it’s been 2 days since the 1st 2 hatched. Two questions: will the 3rd hatch or is it too late? Where do the egg shells go after the baby hatches? I’ve been watching them closely and there are no shells in the nest or on the ground.
@Jeff: Robin eggs usually hatch around the same time so if it goes much longer I would say it is highly unlikely that the third egg will hatch. Egg shells are usually, so far as I know, eaten. This helps keep the nest camoflauged and provides much-needed calcium.
we just bought a tree and just found a nest with 2 robin eggs in it, about 1 minute ago (7:47 pm) i used all the info from above. (in a bowl with cotton and wet cotton for humidity and a lamp over it) Im almost positive that it is still very alive, but how would i take care of it without an incubator??
@Mickey: Good question…I would try to find and contact a wildlife rehabilitator in your area.
i am stupid
@Mickey: Not sure why you would say that but good luck with the eggs!
I know little about birds, but I just happened across a nest under my deck and found a small gray bird in it. While I was looking at it it took off like a rocket leaving behind 4 babies. The babies appear just hatched, little fuzz and pink. Will the mom return? How long can the babies survive without her? ANything I can do?
@BRad: Just leave the nest alone and the mother should return.
It took A few hours but the Mom did return :-), although the babies weren’t moving much. Guess I will look for a new work bench for the next few weeks. Good location for the bird, bad location for me!
Another nest appeared under my umbrella after the three baby robins left July 5. Before leaving, one of the babies came to say goodbye. Flew, for the first time, right over to where I was standing. It allowed me to take a picture with him. I would like to share it with this site, but can’t figure out how to post it.
I have not seen the mother in quite a while for the new nest. Tonight I took a picture to see if there were eggs in the nest and it appears to be four robins eggs. I observed the last robins nest very carefully, and you were well aware of their parents presence. What will happen to these babies if the mother does not return? What can I do to protect them and nurture them once they hatch?
Thanks
Jenn