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You are just taking a walk, when you see a bird fly into a tree. You just move to this town and where you were from,so you are not familiar with that kind of bird. This makes you wonder and want to start documenting and learning about all kinds of birds, their eggs, habits, etc. What will you do?


  1. Find and Take Care of Wild Bird Eggs Step 1.jpg
    Decide whether the egg should be incubated. Consider the following:
    • Do not assume that any egg or nest is "abandoned". Most birds do not stay at the nest or incubate eggs until they have laid most or all of the eggs in that clutch. Eggs remain dormant until incubation begins. Once incubation starts, chicks will develop, grow, hatch and fledge at the same rate, so babies are not fledging (leaving the nest), with nestlings left behind.
    • Eggs that are found on the ground should be left alone. They do not need to be rescued. Many birds nest on the ground, some even nest on bare ground.
    • The birds you find will probably not survive. Wild birds must be raised by wild bird parents. Parents teach the fledglings how to find food and water, evade predators and migrate. Humans cannot teach these skills...and without them - they will not survive.
    • In most countries, native wild birds are protected by law. Most are protected by international laws like CITES. In North America, all native wild birds are protected by federal law under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. See Warnings.
  2. Find and Take Care of Wild Bird Eggs Step 2.jpg
    Find an egg on the ground (or otherwise lost). Keep in mind, any eggs you find on the ground might not be worth your time as if they're out of the heat of the nest for more than half an hour, cell damage occurs. Also eggs found on the ground could potentially be those of snakes so be cautious.
  3. Find and Take Care of Wild Bird Eggs Step 3.jpg
    Keep at approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit (or 37.7778 degrees Celsius) in an incubator.
  4. Find and Take Care of Wild Bird Eggs Step 4.jpg
    Rotate the egg around a few times daily so the embryo doesn't stick to the sides. Wait for the egg to hatch.
  5. Find and Take Care of Wild Bird Eggs Step 5.jpg
    Feed the bird a lot, approximately every half-hour, starting an hour before sunrise and ending an hour before sunset. Feed the baby bird seeds and small pieces of fruit, don't give it anything overly soggy as this can drown it and don't give it bread as this has no nutritional value and causes more harm than good.

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  • Keep the egg warm but not too hot.
  • See if you can identify the type of bird, as different birds eat different foods. You can identify it by the color description of the egg.
  • Most baby birds are born blind, but some are not. Those birds are precocial, whereas blind ones are altricial.
  • You might want to look for more information on other websites.


  • Baby birds when hand fed can swallow it down the wrong tube and choke and die. That is why mom birds throw up the swallowed food in the baby's mouth.
  • Don't ever turn off the incubator/light.
  • It may be illegal to care for a baby bird or egg in your state/province. Check with local conservation authorities first.
  • In the UK, using the excuse, "I found it" will just not do. If you are found in possession of wild bird eggs you can expect a heavy fine. Do NOT take them from where you find them. At best, contact the RSPB.
  • The aforementioned laws prohibit anyone from tampering with nests, harming or harassing birds, or possessing any bird (dead or alive), any part of a bird (including feathers), eggs or nests - unless they have a State and/or Federal wildlife license that permits that specific activity. No one, except licensed and approved researchers, biologists, zoologists or museums is permitted to have possession of, or incubate native wild bird eggs.
  • Do not take an egg from the nest.

Things You'll Need

  • Incubator/warm lightbulb
  • Proper experience
  • A place to keep it warm

Article Info

Categories: Stub | General Bird Care

Recent edits by: Serendipitee, Jeff, Chanely Bieber

In other languages:

Español: Cómo encontrar y cuidar de huevos de aves salvajes, Русский: найти яйца диких птиц и ухаживать за ними

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