Birds migrate, they travel over very long distances from the north to the south in search of better resources and better temperatures. This is a regular seasonal occurrence that usually happens during the winter. This isn’t the only movement that birds make, birds can also move from nest to nest. But, can birds move their eggs to another nest? This article looks into it.
Ground birds can move their eggs to different nests and do so if necessary, flying bird’s, unfortunately, cannot. If a parent realizes that its eggs are being threatened then it will roll its eggs to a safer and more secure location. Flying birds cannot move their eggs from nest to nest
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Can birds move their eggs to another nest?
Nests are meant to be safe spaces for eggs but unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
If a nest becomes threatened, some birds are known to move their eggs to other safer locations.
Ground birds will move their eggs to other safer locations if they can, the bird needs suitable terrain in order to effectively roll and relocate the eggs.
Flying bird’s, unfortunately, cannot move their eggs to other nests after they have been laid because they aren’t able to pick them up.
Why do birds abandon their nests with eggs?
Birds, and wild animals, in general, have strong self-preservation abilities.
A mother bird may abandon her nest of eggs to save her own life if she feels like she cannot protect both herself and her eggs against predators lurking around the nest.
That being said, she will still try her best to put up a good fight and try to scare off the predator in an effort to protect her eggs and nest.
Another more common reason as to why eggs may be abandoned is that the parents have become food for a predator.
Also, unbearable situations can force a mother bird to abandon her nest of eggs. These unbearable situations can include insect infestations, bad weather or other territorial animals moving into the territory.
But usually, if the eggs are left alone it’s because the parents are on a quick food run and will be back soon.
Do birds kick eggs out of the nest?
Eggs are sometimes separated from their nests, but is this because they were kicked out? not always. One reason for this is that the separated egg could have accidentally been knocked out of an overpopulated nest.
Birds like cuckoos will regularly overcrowd the nests of other birds by laying their eggs beside existing eggs. The unfortunate result of this is an egg getting knocked out because the nest is crowded.
Mother birds sometimes simply kick an egg out because it has not hatched within the right time frame.
She does this because she sees the egg as being infertile so it won’t hatch. This is better than having it rot in the nest.
Can you put a bird egg back in its nest?
Sure, you can put a bird egg back inside its nest if you see that it has fallen out. There is a 50/50 chance that it was knocked out accidentally.
A mother bird will not abandon or shun an egg because a human has touched it.
Flying birds aren’t able to grab the egg and take flight while holding the egg, so helping them out would actually be a good deed.
What happens if you disturb a birds nest?
Generally, birds will usually protect their nest with extreme force. That being said, certain birds will abandon the nest if the nest is disturbed, the bird may see this as a deadly threat to itself.
For example, a hawk will abandon the nest if it sees you disturbing its nest as a way to catch or harm it. While robins on the other hand will risk their lives to protect their eggs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, birds will move their eggs to another nest but only ground birds have the availability to do this.
The ground bird will roll its egg to another nest if staying at their old nest is a threat to their safety.
Flying birds cannot grab and move their eggs. Birds will abandon their nests in the name of self-preservation.
Birds will kick their egg out if the mother sees that the egg is not going to hatch. If an egg has fallen out of the nest you can put it back.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Can you eat pigeon eggs?, How to take care of a pigeon egg, Do male birds make nests?, Can you eat dove eggs?