Birds come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
One of the aspects of birds that connects them all is the fact that they lay eggs.
Here’s what you need to know about the birds who lay blue eggs.
What Kinds Of Birds Lay Blue Eggs? (5 Common)
The most common birds that lay blue eggs are Robins, Blue Jays, Common Myna, Dunnocks, and Eastern Bluebird.
For several months, birds have to protect their eggs while the baby birds grow within them.
It’s not uncommon to find blue eggs or even parts of blue eggs after the birds hatch from them.
Birds come in all shapes and sizes and their eggs do, too.
1. American Robin
One of the most famous birds that lay blue eggs is the robin.
There are both American and European robins.
Both lay blue eggs.
In the case of the American robin, they’re quite common to see throughout the United States year-round.
Some robins will choose to fly south for the winter while others will stick around their nests.
Some also choose to travel north for breeding and return to their specific spots after the breeding season is over.
Robins have a reputation for being some of the morning birds that you hear and see when you wake up in the morning.
They spend a lot of time foraging lawns for earthworms.
If you choose to watch a robin, then you’ll likely spot them hopping along the ground until they find a worm.
Then they’ll dip their heads and quickly pull the worm out of the ground and eat it.
Here are a few things you should know about the American robin.
What Do American Robins Look Like?
One of the most striking aspects of the American robin is its orange breast and stomach.
That burnt orange color easily distinguishes it from other birds.
They have grey wings that can darken into black.
They also have black heads with a few white feathers around their eyes.
Robins share their orange breasts and stomachs with other thrushes which is the family of birds that the robin belongs to.
What Do Robins Eat?
Like many other birds, robins are foragers.
They forage on the ground, in particular, looking for worms and insects.
In the winter, their diet changes somewhat since it’s not as easy to forage the ground with snow covering it.
Robins don’t have very long beaks, so they’re unable to dig deep into the solid ground to find worms.
Since most insects also disappear during winter, there isn’t much for them to find, anyway.
As such, during winter, robins eat fruits instead.
In particular, they like to eat honeysuckle berries.
If this is the only food available for them, then they may eat so many that they actually become intoxicated.
Their diets also change during the day.
Robins spend the morning foraging for worms and insects.
Towards the end of the day, they look for and eat fruit.
Because robins eat worms and spend time on lawns, they’re also subject to pesticide poisoning.
Many analysts use robins to determine the amount of chemical pollution occurring in an area.
If the ground has too much pesticide, then the robin population will fall off in that area.
Where Do Robins Roost?
Robins roost in trees.
Although they spend a lot of time in the yard, most of their time is spent up in the trees.
They may roost together up in the trees or spend time alone in their nests.
Males and females also have different roosting behaviors.
During the summer, female robins sleep in their nests.
Males join the roost.
As baby birds grow and become independent, they also join the roost.
It’s only after they’ve finished nesting that females join the roost, too.
Robin roosts can be especially large.
Some can even grow to a quarter-million birds.
The larger numbers help them stay safe from predators.
You can often find robin roosts resting on trees or utility lines.
2. Blue Jays
It’s no surprise that the blue-colored Blue Jay also lays blue eggs.
They don’t always lay blue eggs exclusively, however.
Sometimes, their eggs may appear more white or even green in color.
Blue jays are common in both urban and suburban areas as well as in forests.
In urban and suburban areas, they tend to gather around areas that have forests nearby or at least have substantial bird feeders.
Outside of urban and suburban areas, they like to dwell on the edges of big forests.
You won’t find blue jays too often in the middle of a dense forest, however.
They prefer the outskirts of the forest.
Here are a few things you should know about the blue jay.
What Do Blue Jays Look Like?
Blue jays are pretty easy to spot in the wild due to their color and shape.
As their name might suggest, their bodies are mostly blue.
You can identify them easily by looking for blue tops and white bellies.
They also have a striking black outline that only further highlights their blue and white coloring.
Another unique trait of blue jays is their large crest.
On top of their heads is a large crest that’s angular in nature.
They almost look like tufts of feathers in a proud crest.
Finally, they also have extended tail feathers.
In terms of size, they’re larger than robins but smaller than crows or ravens.
What Do Blue Jays Eat?
Blue jays have a reputation for being bullies, and their diets suggest there’s some truth to this.
While blue jays usually eat bugs that they find on the ground, they’re also prone to stealing food from other nests.
They’ll even eat bird eggs and baby birds if they can’t find anything else to eat.
Sometimes, blue jays even act like scavengers.
If they find dying or injured small vertebrates, then they’ll scoop them up and eat them.
That also includes other birds.
When they’re not eating bugs or injured birds, they spend the rest of the time eating nuts, seeds, and grains.
While other birds will eat food at the site where they find it, blue jays will actually take their food with them if they can.
They’ll use their feet to scoop up the food and take it to their nest or other areas.
Blue jays have caches where they store food for later.
Where Do Blue Jays Nest?
Blue jays like to nest in pines and other similar coniferous trees.
They prefer to nest close to where the branch connects to the trunk, but they also build nests on thick branches that are further away from the trunk.
The male and female birds work together to build the nest.
Both gather materials for the nest, but the male spends more time gathering while the female spends more time building the actual nest.
They usually use twigs to build their nests, but they’re happy with anything that builds something strong.
Blue jays won’t remain in their nests, however, if they detect a nearby predator.
They’ll abandon it and build another nest elsewhere.
While nesting, blue jay males will look and bring food to the female.
She’ll share the food with the male, but most of it goes to herself and the nestlings if they’ve hatched.
While around other blue jays, they’ll keep their crests lowered to appear less aggressive and intimidating.
When around other birds or if they perceive a threat, however, they keep their crests tall to look more imposing.
3. Common Myna
Another bird that lays blue eggs is the common myna.
This bird is native to South Asia but also has started to make its appearance in Australia, New Zealand, and even Hawaii.
It hasn’t gained much ground in the United States yet, however.
That said, the common myna does lay blue eggs.
Their eggs are a similar share to the American robin, but they can also lean towards a green shade.
Here’s what you need to know about the common myna.
What Do Common Myna Birds Look Like?
Mynas aren’t very colorful.
They have brown bodies, and their heads are black.
They do have a bit of white to them, too.
In particular, they have some white patches, a few feathers underneath their bellies can be white, and sometimes their tail feathers might have hints of white, too.
In terms of size, they’re similar to the robin with the males being a bit larger.
What Do Common Mynas Eat?
Mynas are omnivores and are open to eating just about anything.
Their preferred diet includes insects, fruit, and grains.
They’ll also eat grubs when they’re available.
Common mynas are similar to blue jays in that they’ll also eat other bird eggs and even young birds.
Some mynas have even started fishing.
They’ll stand on the edge of the water and eat small fish that they catch with their beaks.
You can find them in deep forests as well as in urban and suburban areas.
When around people, they’ll eat from bird feeders and look for worms and other bugs in lawns.
They’ll even eat garbage lying around or kitchen scraps that you leave outside.
Mynas have also started eating small mammals like mice.
A few also take on lizards and snakes.
You can find them snacking on spiders and even crabs.
When they can’t find any protein, they’ll look for grains and flowers, too.
They’ll eat flower petals if there isn’t anything else to eat in the area.
Clearly, common mynas are happy to eat practically anything.
Where Do Common Mynas Nest?
Mynas prefer to nest in open farmland areas or similar habitats.
They’ll nest on the outskirts of forests but prefer not to live in the forest itself.
They’ll also prefer to nest outside of cities or towns.
You can usually find mynas in dry woodlands or open forests.
When roosting, they prefer to be up high in trees or dense canopies.
When it comes to nesting, mynas are very territorial.
They’ll fight other couples for the best spot.
These fights are often violent and sometimes even deadly.
Once they choose a nesting area, both the male and female defend it.
They also take turns incubating the eggs.
Once baby birds hatch, they’ll remain in the nest for even as long as 1.5 years, during which the adult mynas will continue to feed them.
4. Dunnocks
If you’re in the United Kingdom, then you might spot the blue eggs of a dunnock.
The dunnock is a part of the accentor bird family, but it’s often called a hedge sparrow even though it’s not a sparrow.
Dunnock birds have a reputation for being quiet and a bit shy.
They prefer to hang out near the bottoms of hedges and other overgrown areas where they feel safer foraging for food.
When they lay eggs, the color of their eggs is a beautiful blue shade.
Here’s what you need to know about dunnock birds.
What Do Dunnock Birds Look Like?
Dunnock birds are quite small.
They’re about the size of a robin but some are a bit smaller.
They have mostly brown bodies with grey heads that tint towards blue in certain lights.
Their feathers have black spots and black outlines which help highlight the bird and give it some character.
Their beaks are also very short.
What Do Dunnocks Eat?
Since dunnock birds have smaller beaks, they tend to eat smaller insects.
They’re a fan of worms and will forage the ground for them and other insects.
They also eat grains and seeds which they’re able to easily fit in their beaks.
They don’t have as wide a diet as some other birds which has placed dunnock birds under some slight population problems.
In the United Kingdom, they’re protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981.
Where Do Dunnocks Nest?
Dunnock birds like to nest in hedges and other types of thick shrubbery.
A few of them will nest in trees, too, as long as they’re dense and protected.
When it comes to nesting, the dunnocks have a unique mating behavior.
While they’re usually quiet and shy, if two males find one another during the breeding season, then they become more aggressive.
They’ll chirp loudly and flap their wings aggressively.
Females and males form strong bonds, but the female will mate with other males, too.
Since none of the males know which is the actual father, they all end up helping her build a nest and providing food for her and the nestlings.
All the exact number of eggs differs, they tend to lay up to five, blue, eggs.
5. Eastern Bluebird
Given the name, you would think that bluebirds also lay blue eggs.
They do, and those hatchlings grow to become very blue, too.
Bluebirds breed in the northern parts of the United States before traveling back down to the south to nest and live.
Some also remain in the south for breeding as well.
Bluebirds are particularly native to the eastern part of the United States.
Some of them even live in Mexico.
Here’s what you need to know about bluebirds.
What Do Bluebirds Look Like?
As their name might suggest, bluebirds have a bright, eye-catching, blue color to the tops of their bodies.
Their heads are also blue.
Their chests are a rich, burnt orange, similar to a robin’s.
The rest of their body is a striking white.
The different shades of colors come together to make quite an attractive bird for bird watchers to enjoy.
They also have very small beaks.
What Do Bluebirds Eat?
Bluebirds share much of the same diet as some of the other birds that lay blue eggs.
They prefer to eat insects and worms when they can get them.
However, they also eat fruits and berries.
Some watchers have even seen bluebirds take down a shrew or salamander.
They also eat small snakes and tree frogs.
With a varied diet, the bluebird is a pretty safe bird in terms of population.
Where Do Bluebirds Nest?
Bluebirds like to nest in trees.
They prefer holes if any are available as this provides more protection for them.
The female does most of the nest building while the male sort of flies around the hole and flaps his wings.
He does gather materials for the nest, however, which allows the female to build the nest.
She’s also the only one to incubate the eggs.
If she lays the eggs early, then the birds may hatch early and stay in the nest until spring.
NEXT: What Part Of A Cow Is Brisket? (Explained)