What Birds Have Blue Eggs? Discover 21 Avian Species

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Written by

Clinton Atkins

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FACT-CHECKED BY

George Dukes

what birds have blue eggs

It’s a wonder of nature that bird eggs can range from brown, white, to even blue with different patterns.

To know what birds have blue eggs, explore 21 avian species right here. These birds include robins, finches, crows, thrushes, bluebirds, blue jays, dunnocks, and more.

What Bird Lays Blue Eggs?

blue-eggs-bird

Blue colored bird eggs may come as a fascinating surprise for many people, but they do exist. Thanks to a compound called biliverdin, there are 22 bird species that can generate blue eggs.

Now that you know that there are indeed blue eggs, you should now learn how to perform bird egg identification. By knowing the size, shade, and markings of the blue eggs, you can safely guess what kind of bird laid the eggs.

1. Robins

what-bird-lays-blue-eggs

Robin eggs are beautiful with their pale blue shade. And the brighter the color is, the more the males are dedicated to caring for their offspring.

  American European
Incubation 12-14 days 13 days
Clutch 3-5 eggs 4-7 eggs
Brood 1-3 2-3
Width 0.8” 20×15.5mm
Length 1.1-1.2”  

2. Blue Jays

Blue jays thrive in woodlands, and they create their nests 10-25 feet above the earth. They are an intelligent bird species, and they value their family the most.

Incubation 17-18 days
Clutch 2-7 eggs
Brood 1
Width 0.7-0.9”
Length 1.0-1.3”

3. Black Tinamou

blue-colored-bird-eggs

Black tinamous are stout ground-dwellers, and the females are bigger than the males. During breeding time in March to November, they generate up to two shiny blue eggs on the ground.

Incubation 19-20 days
Clutch 8-16 eggs
Dimension 53.4×38.0mm

4. Common Mynas

The monogamous common myna originated from Asia, and it is also known as the Indian myna. They build their nests in tree holes or walls. This invasive bird species is extremely territorial.

Incubation 17-18 days
Clutch 4-6 eggs
Dimension 30.8×21.99mm

5. Bluebirds

birds-that-lay-blue-eggs

Another blue eggs bird species is the western, eastern, and mountain bluebirds. As adults, the bluebirds retain their royal blue shade through their plumage.

  Eastern Mountain Western
Incubation 11-19 days 18-21 days 12-17 days
Clutch 2-7 eggs 4-8 eggs 2-8 eggs
Brood 1-3 1-2 1-3
Width 0.6-0.8” 0.6-0.7” 0.7-0.9”
Length 0.7-0.9” 0.8-1.0” 0.8-2.4”

6. Dunnocks

Dunnocks can be monogamous or polyandrous, and they produce brightly-colored blue eggs. These birds are also called the hedge sparrow, and their shiny egg exterior has zero spots.

Incubation 12-13 days
Clutch 4-5 eggs
Brood 2-3
Width 20x15mm

7. European Starlings

small-blue-bird-eggs

European starlings have light blue bird eggs that are bigger than other avian eggs. Both male and female partners set up the nest, although the males have a bigger role in constructing it. 

Incubation 12 days
Clutch 3-6 eggs
Brood 1-2
Width 0.8-0.9”
Length 1.1-1.3”

8. Blue-gray gnatcatcher

Blue-gray gnatcatcher eggs are light blue coupled with crimson to dark brown markings. Their nests are often made of fibrous materials and silk or spider webs.

  • Incubation: 11-15 days
  • Clutch: 3-5 eggs
  • Brood: 1-2
  • Width: 0.4- 0.5’’
  • Length: 0.5-0.6’’

9. Gray Catbirds

blue-eggs-on-the-ground

Gray catbirds have turquoise green eggs with tiny red markings. Males gather the materials for the nests and females build their home. The females lay their eggs in thick shrubberies.

Incubation 12-15 days
Clutch 1-6 eggs
Brood 2-3
Width 0.5-0.6”
Length 0.9-1.0”

10. Linnets

Linnets are birds that lay blue eggs during the breeding months of April to July. The eggs are dotted with purple and brown markings.

Incubation 14 days
Clutch 4-6 eggs
Brood 3
Dimension 18x13mm

11. Blackbirds

in-nest

Blackbirds are monogamous birds that breed in August to February. Each year, the blackbirds lay eggs using the same nest. Both parents have their own time to incubate their blue or green-blue eggs with brown speckles.

Incubation 13-14 days
Clutch 3-5 eggs
Brood 2-4
Dimension 29x22mm

12. Thrushes

The song thrushes have shiny blue speckled bird eggs.

Wood thrush eggs have a turquoise color without any spots. The white-throated thrush eggs are pale blue with markings of red-brown and gray hues. Varied thrush eggs are pale sky blue with dark brown spots.

The swainson’s thrushes have greenish blue or plain blue eggs with tan or crimson spots.

Aztec thrush eggs are light blue, and the bicknell’s thrush and dusky thrush eggs are bluish green coupled with hazel spots.

Finally, clay-colored thrush eggs are pale blue with crimson-brown markings.

  Song Wood White-throated Varied Swainson’s
Incubation 10-17 days 12-15 days 12-14 days 12 days 10-14 days
Clutch 4-5 eggs 3-4 eggs 2-4 eggs 1-6 eggs 1-5 eggs
Brood 2-3 1-2 1-3 1-2 At least 1
Width 2.7×2.0cm 0.7-0.8” 31x22mm 0.8-0.9” 0.6-0.7”
Length 1.1” 0.9-1.1” 1.1-1.4” 0.8-1.0”

 

  Aztec Bicknell’s Dusky Clay-colored
Incubation 12-14 days 9-14 days 13-15 days 12-14 days
Clutch 2-3 eggs 3-4 eggs 4-6 eggs 2-4 eggs
Brood At least 1 1-2 At least 1 At least 1
Width regular 0.6-0.7” regular regular
Length regular 0.8-0.9” regular regular

13. Snowy Egrets

blue-speckled-bird-eggs

Snowy egrets build their nests in dense vegetation areas. The males begin the construction prior to seeking a mate. Once the female is in the picture, she finishes the nest. And when the eggs are laid, they have a light green-blue color.

Incubation 24-25 days
Clutch 2-6 eggs
Brood At least 1
Width 0.9-1.3”
Length 1.6-1.7”

14. Magpies

Not all magpies participate in the breeding process due to the limited space for nesting. But for those that do, the pairs produce small blue bird eggs. The nests of the magpies are protected with a dome structure.

Incubation 18-19 days
Clutch 1-9 eggs
Brood 1
Width 0.8-1.0”
Length 1.2-1.5”

15. Goldfinch

light-blue-bird-eggs

The American goldfinch eggs are light blue-white in color coupled with tiny and pale brown specks located on the larger edge.

Lawrence’s goldfinch eggs are super light blue with no markings, like lesser goldfinch eggs.

  American Lawrence’s Lesser
Incubation 12-14 days 12.5 days 12-13 days
Clutch 2-7 eggs 3-6 eggs 3-6 eggs
Brood 1-2 1 1
Width 0.5” 15.50×11.7mm 0.4-0.5”
Length 0.6-0.7” 0.6”

16. Eurasian Jackdaw

The Eurasian jackdaw eggs that are found in nest are light blue-green in color with tiny spots of brown. Parent birds build their nests in tree holes.

Incubation 18-19 days
Clutch 4-6 eggs
Brood At least 1
Dimension 36x26mm

17. Herons

tiny-blue-eggs

Great blue and little blue heron eggs are light blue, but for the former, the hue gradually wanes as the days go by.

  Great blue Little blue
Incubation 27-29 days 22-23 days
Clutch 2-6 eggs 3-4 eggs
Brood 1-2 At least 1
Width 1.8-2.0” 1.2-1.4”
Length 2.4-3.0” 1.6-2.0”

18. Crows

American female crows and fish crows lay tiny blue eggs with specks of brown.

Meanwhile, the Hawaiian crow eggs are greenish-blue, and the eggs of the tamaulipas are pale blue with spots of light olive.

  American Fish Hawaiian Tamaulipas
Incubation 16-18 days 16-19 days 19-22 days 17-18 days
Clutch 3-9 eggs 2-6 eggs 2-5 eggs 4 eggs
Brood 1-2 1 1  
Width 1.0-1.2” 1.0-1.2” small  
Length 1.4-1.9’ 1.3-1.6” small  

19. Finches

blue-sparrow-eggs

The house finch breed has light bluish-green hued eggs coupled with spots of black or light lavender.

Cassin’s finch eggs are pale green-blue with lavender, black, and chocolate-colored specks.

As for oriental greenfinch eggs, they’re light blue with hazel markings.

  Cassin’s House Oriental greenfinch
Incubation 12 days 13-14 days 12-14 days
Clutch 3-6 eggs 2-6 eggs 3-5 eggs
Brood 1-2 1-6 2
Width 0.5-0.6” 0.5-0.6”  
Length 0.7-0.9” 0.6-0.8”  

20. House Sparrows

The light blue sparrow eggs have streaks of hazel or gray. The house sparrows prefer to build neighboring nests. And they usually utilize their nests multiple times.

Incubation 10-14 days
Clutch 1-8 eggs
Brood 1-4
Width 0.6”
Length 0.8-0.9”

21. Eurasian Bullfinch

little-blue-eggs

The little blue eggs of the Eurasian bullfinch are with crimson markings.

Incubation 8-9 days
Clutch 4-7 eggs
Brood 2-3
Size small

Conclusion

Now you know what birds have blue eggs, it’s easier to identify the bird species that created them.

Each bird nest offers a varying number of eggs, and the incubation time differs too. Even birds in the same family have different numbers of eggs, brood, markings, and shades of blue.

Kindly help us spread this post to the world. And leave us your thoughts and comments. We’d love to hear from you.

Before you go, don’t forget to check other articles about bird’s life:

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