Who Lays Eggs?
Eggs are laid by birds.
They are also laid by some other animals, such as fish and reptiles.
adult ostrich with
two adult angelfish tortoise hatching
eggs and baby
with their eggs from its egg
ostriches
All Sorts of Eggs
Different types of birds lay different types of eggs.
Eggs can be different sizes and colours.
Some birds lay one egg to take care of. Others lay more than one.
robin
parrots with their king penguins with
robin eggs
eggs one egg
Laying Eggs
An adult female lays an egg or some
eggs.
Eggs are usually laid into a nest.
Nests can be made from twigs, grass,
moss, mud and leaves. grebe in its nest
on water
Some birds makes their nests in trees
and bushes.
Some build nests on the ground or on
water. parrot nesting in a
tree
Others even nest in buildings!
storks nesting in the
chimney of a house
What Is an Embryo?
An ‘embryo’ is what we call a baby animal inside an egg,
before it hatches.
If an egg is fertilised, an embryo starts to grow inside.
This happens inside the egg. We can’t actually see it
happening from the outside.
An artist has drawn these pictures to help us understand
what happens.
At first, the embryo looks like a little blob. It is hard to
imagine that it will become an animal!
As it grows, it starts to look more and more like a baby bird.
Will All Eggs Hatch?
Not all eggs are fertilised. unfertilised chicken eggs bought
from a supermarket
The eggs we buy to eat are usually not
fertilised. They do not have an embryo
inside.
An unfertilised egg will never hatch
into a baby bird.
A fertilised egg is different. It has a using unfertilised eggs to make
bird embryo growing inside. a cake
A fertilised egg can hatch into a baby
bird.
Protecting the Eggs
The adult birds look after their
eggs.
Often, the male and female
parents both take turns to sit on
the eggs to keep them warm.
a swan sitting on
This is called ‘incubation’.
its eggs
Inside the eggs, the baby birds
continue to grow.
The parents try to make sure that
no other animals steal and eat
their eggs!
two penguins taking
it in turns to incubate
their egg
How Long Before the
Eggs Hatch?
It takes between 10 and 30 days before most fertilised eggs are
ready to hatch.
Small birds, like robins, usually hatch after 10-14 days.
Large birds, like owls, take longer.
long-eared owl
robin
` `
Time to Hatch
When it is time to hatch, the
egg tooth
baby bird uses its egg tooth to
tap the shell from inside the
egg.
The egg tooth is a tiny little
horn on the end of its beak.
Soon, the tapping makes a
small hole in the egg’s shell.
This stage is called ‘pipping’. pipping
Breaking the Shell
The bird may poke out its beak or a
foot as it tries to make the hole bigger
and break the shell.
The shell cracks all the way around.
When the crack is big enough, the baby
bird starts to push the shell apart.
This stage is called ‘unzipping’.
Emerging from the Shell
The chick starts to come out of the
shell.
It is hard work!
When a baby animal has just
hatched from an egg, it is called a
‘hatchling’.
At first, the hatchlings are very
tired after working so hard to break
their egg open.
Hatchlings
Bird hatchlings can look very different to the adult birds.
They are often born with few or no feathers.
Their eyes might be shut.
They have thin pink skin.
canary
hatchlings and adult robin
eggs
robin hatchling
adult canary
and egg
Chicks
In a day or two, the hatchlings will hungry chicks
be chicks. in a nest
The hungry chicks chirp loudly for
food.
The parents leave and return with
food for their hungry babies.
This is hard work for the parents!
a male chaffinch
feeding its chicks
Growing Up
The chicks grow something called ‘down’. This is a layer of soft feathers.
The chicks look and feel fluffy.
Later, they grow an outer layer of tougher feathers over their soft down.
They start to look more like their parents.
sandhill crane
an older cygnet
family
adult swan and
king penguin
baby swans,
adult and chick
called ‘cygnets’
Fledglings
adult Australian
The chicks grow bigger until they are as magpie feeding its
big as their parents. fledgling
Soon, it is time for them to leave the nest.
Most birds will now learn to fly. At this
stage, they are called ‘fledglings’.
They learn to find food for themselves.
Before long, they will build their own
nest and may have their own babies.
And the cycle begins again!
hornbill fledglings
learning to fly
The Bird Life Cycle
egg
adult embryo
chick hatchling
