How many offspring can birds have?

Question

yea hw

Answer 1

That depends on the specific reproductive strategy of the species (which has been acquired during its evolution), as well as the specific ecological circumstances.

Some birds lay only one egg, like the kiwis (Apteryx) from New Zealand. Others, like pigeons, commonly lay 2. Many of the species that lay 2 eggs end up raising a single chick, and the 2nd egg functions like "insurance" in case things go wrong with the firstborn. That's what happens with pelicans; only in exceptionally good years they are able to to raise both chicks.
Some birds are very prolific; the waterfowl (Anseriformes, ducks and relatives) and the fowl (Galliformes, pheasants and relatives) have large clutches.

[Other birds, such as the flightless South American rheas, have very large nests with dozens of eggs, but these are laid by several females and incubated by the male. ]

Another thing to consider is the amount of clutches per breeding season. Pigeons lay only 2 eggs each time, but some species are reproductively active throughout the year and therefore they're quite prolific. Conversely, some ducks may have large clutches (up to 13 eggs) but they breed only once a year and many of the chicks die.

The availability of resources (environmental conditions, adequate site to build the nest, territory, food, other competing birds, etc) also has a large influence on the amount of eggs that the birds lay, how many of them will hatch, and how many of those will actually reach the independent juvenile stage. According to these factors, populations and individuals of a species will show variation.

That being said, here are some of the records for bird clutch size:
Largest absolute clutch size: 28 eggs (bobwhite quail - Colinus virginianus)
Largest average clutch size: 15-19 eggs (gray partridge - Perdix perdix)
Smallest clutch size: 1 egg every 2 years (albatrosses)

Source:
http://www.birding.com/BirdRecords1.htm


More interesting information:
http://www.humboldt.edu/~tlg2/365/lecture2.html#11
http://www.ebd.csic.es/andy/JOrnith06.pdf#search=%22anseriformes%20clutch%20size%22
http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/christians/pubs/Christians2000.pdf#search=%22anseriformes%20clutch%20size%22

Answer 2

The previous answers only addressed clutch size. The males of polygynous species with large clutch sizes can have many more offspring than the females that are limited by clutch size, breeding frequency, and longevity. So a rooster in a domestic flock of chickens used to produce chicks commercially could have hundreds.

Answer 3

Depends...the only bird I can think of that lays only one egg is the kiwi, because the egg takes up so much space in its body. Songbirds usually have 3-4 in a brood. Ostriches can have around a dozen(actually 2-3 females use a communal nest which can contain up to 60 eggs). Chickens can have a couple dozen....more if you incubate them yourself.

Answer 4

It depends on how many eggs are protected in the nest, as well as the species of bird. Some birds lay one egg, others much more.

Answer 5

It depends on the speciaes and breed the bird is, actually. Like Ostriches - they only have one egg, and the common finch can have up to 4 eggs depending on the breed.