What are the odds of finding this?

Question

What are the odds of finding a young bird or egg that was abandoned?
(No jokes allowed!)

I found what appeared to be an abandoned egg once. I felt bad about leaving it, since THERE weren't any birds around. So I promised myself if that ever happend angain I probably won't leave it.

I live in the city but I'm a bit of distance away from Lake Mead or Lake Las Vegas. There's also a wetland near where I live. There's also a bird preserve, but we do have some pigeons on the roof of some of the houses in our neighborhood.

Answer 1

Just because an egg is on the ground without a nest doesn't mean it's abandoned. Some birds, such as killdear, will lay eggs in shallow depression on the ground which appear to be abandoned eggs.

Other than that, many birds don't start setting on eggs until she's layed them all. Which means, if she's going to lay five, she won't sit on them until all five are layed. Till then they wait in the nest with her watching from a safe distance. This is especially true of water foul. They can't afford to have babies hatching one at a time for a week (try chasing an active hatchling while sitting on a nest), so they won't incubate them till they're all layed.

Now, pheasants are a completely different story. A female pheasant will lay a "dummy" nest in the spring. She'll lay ten or more eggs, and leave them never to return. She'll lay her real nest in a secluded, hidden spot a little later. I'm not sure, but I think the dummy nest leads predators away from her real nest...

There are ground swallows who will lay eggs in small grassy spots, and who fly off at the least ground vibration. You'll see a tiny bird fly out of the grass, and if you go check, there's a nest.

Alone doesn't mean abandoned.

T.

Answer 2

Actually if you were to find a baby chick or egg, it would be illegal for you to have it in your possession. There is law called the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that protects ALL native birds. Lots of people see baby birds running or hopping around that cannot fly and ASSUME they are abandoned but in reality they are just fledged and are learning how to fly, and are being taken care of by parents in the area. Never assume a baby bird has been abandoned. It would take a lot of waiting around and watching for adults coming and going with food.

Answer 3

VERY slim. I've only seen one egg in 30 years that was not in a nest.

Any young birds that you find more than likely are fledging and have a parent that is around. DO NOT disturb them. They are learning how to survive. Your scent will not affect them, but if you move them around, the parents may not find them again to continue feeding.

Answer 4

i wanted to add that an egg on the ground that IS abandoned is so because it may not have hatched it was probably a dud. so don't worry about it .you couldn't possibly hatch it and you don't know if it was left alone. i live at the beach and pipers leave there eggs in rocks on peoples driveways all the time so you should always just leave it

Answer 5

I think you did the right thing leaving it.

If there was only one egg it could mean mom was getting food and wasn't sitting on it yet because she was going to lay more eggs. Birds lay eggs about every two or three days, after they finish laying them they begin sitting on them to keep them warm. The eggs stay viable the first few days without her keeping them warm. Otherwise they will have babies hatching with too much time between them.

Answer 6

the odds of finding an egg that would produce a bird are slim . finding a bird is somewhat good but raising it into a mature bird is poor it needs proper temperature and food things only a mother bird can do .

Answer 7

It all depends on where you are looking. I live out in the country and sometimes find eggs lying around on the ground. I find less young birds though, I believe because our cats find them first.

Answer 8

Eggs are about 9/1 I've found more then chick.

Answer 9

Even if you did, you would need a self-turning incubator to keep it constantly mobile, because turning the egg on an instinctive regular schedule is the parent's job. Failure to do it will cause death in-shell.

Answer 10

it may not be abandoned yet. Leave it alone. If you touch it the mother may reject it all together. The odds are pretty good for finding eggs and babies this time of year !