I create false egg shells that are used to put sensor packs in bird nests, and one female seemed to know the egg wasn't real. The less intelligent birds probably just act through instinct and lose interest but I think the smarter birds may know the egg will never hatch.Įxperienced wild parrots will ditch a dead egg, literally burying it in the wood shavings inside the nest, and focus on their healthy eggs. Mom and dad bird respond to these things. After the internal pip (where the pre-hatch chick gets its beak into the aircell) a soon to hatch chick will be peeping back and forth with mom and or dad. The things that tell a mother bird the egg is dead are weight (drying out), color (dark instead of faintly glowing in sunlight), and the cessation of movement from an embryo that was previously kicking around throughout the day and night. If she makes a mistake she might kill a chick, which is risky. They may incubate a pine cone, or a large wood chip, given the option.Īn inexperienced mother bird, in long-lived species who get to lay eggs for many years, is also more likely to do stupid things like nurture a dead shell full of bacteria because she hasn't learned how the whole egg thing works yet. So the urge to sit on it remains strong.Ī broody bird will sit on a dead egg because it has a huge drive to just sit on round things. When you do the math, rejecting an egg for being weird can be a bad thing, as a mistake means a lost chick. The urge to brood is strong even if the egg is weird. That's how cuckoos and cow birds get away with their egg dumping into another species’ nest. I have known captive broody birds (meaning birds that wish to be in the nest and sit on eggs) that will fixate on a pet bird toy, pick it up, take it into the nest, and sit on it. But there's a couple things at play.įirst, the hormonal drive to sit on a round thing is strong. Birds will recognize and reject a dead egg.
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