Bird egg identification
Start with color, then check size and where the nest is. 48 North American birds, grouped by the eggs they lay, with lengths from Cornell Lab records.
Three questions that narrow it down
- What color is the shell, and is it marked? Blue unmarked eggs in a cup nest point to robins, catbirds or bluebirds; plain white eggs often come from cavity nesters, doves or owls.
- How long is it? Compare with a US quarter (24.3 mm). Songbird eggs are mostly 14–30 mm; doves, crows and hawks are larger.
- Where is the nest? A box, a ledge, a shrub, bare ground or a tree cavity each rules out most species.
Blue or blue-green eggs
- American Goldfinch eggspale bluish white, sometimes with faint spots · 0.59–0.67 in
- Chipping Sparrow eggspale blue-green with sparse dark brown and black marks, mostly at the large end · 0.63–0.75 in
- Eastern Bluebird eggspale blue, occasionally white · 0.71–0.83 in
- Gray Catbird eggsturquoise or greenish blue, unmarked · 0.83–1.02 in
- Wood Thrush eggspale blue or blue-green, unmarked · 0.94–1.10 in
- European Starling eggspale blue or greenish white, unmarked · 1.06–1.26 in
- American Robin eggssky blue or blue-green, unmarked · 1.10–1.18 in
- Great Blue Heron eggspale blue, unmarked · 2.20–2.95 in
Plain white eggs
- Anna's Hummingbird eggswhite, unmarked · 0.47–0.55 in
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird eggswhite, unmarked · 0.51–0.55 in
- Tree Swallow eggspure white, unmarked · 0.67–0.79 in
- Indigo Bunting eggswhite or pale bluish, usually unmarked · 0.67–0.79 in
- Eastern Phoebe eggswhite, occasionally with a few brown spots · 0.71–0.83 in
- Downy Woodpecker eggswhite, unmarked · 0.75–0.79 in
- Purple Martin eggswhite, unmarked · 0.91–1.02 in
- Mourning Dove eggswhite, unmarked · 1.02–1.14 in
- Eurasian Collared-Dove eggswhite, unmarked · 1.14–1.26 in
- Eastern Screech-Owl eggswhite, unmarked · 1.34–1.50 in
- Rock Pigeon eggswhite, unmarked · 1.46–1.61 in
- Great Horned Owl eggsdull white, unmarked · 2.05–2.32 in
- Bald Eagle eggsdull white, unmarked · 2.28–3.50 in
- Canada Goose eggscreamy white, becoming stained during incubation · 2.80–3.70 in
Speckled or finely spotted eggs
- Black-capped Chickadee eggswhite with fine reddish-brown dots · 0.55–0.63 in
- House Wren eggswhite or pinkish, heavily dotted with reddish brown · 0.59–0.71 in
- House Finch eggspale bluish white, finely speckled with black and lavender · 0.63–0.98 in
- Barn Swallow eggswhite, spotted with brown, lavender and gray · 0.63–0.87 in
- Tufted Titmouse eggswhite or cream, speckled with brown or purple · 0.63–0.75 in
- Carolina Wren eggswhite or pinkish, speckled with brown · 0.67–0.79 in
- White-breasted Nuthatch eggscreamy white or pinkish, speckled with reddish brown · 0.71–0.79 in
- Song Sparrow eggsgreenish white, heavily marked with reddish brown · 0.75–0.87 in
- Dark-eyed Junco eggswhitish or pale bluish, speckled with brown and gray · 0.75–0.83 in
- House Sparrow eggswhitish to greenish or bluish white, spotted with gray and brown · 0.79–0.87 in
- Cedar Waxwing eggspale bluish gray, spotted with black or gray · 0.79–0.94 in
- Brown-headed Cowbird eggswhite to grayish, speckled with brown or gray · 0.83–0.87 in
- Northern Cardinal eggsgrayish, buffy or greenish white, speckled with pale gray and brown · 0.87–1.02 in
- Baltimore Oriole eggspale grayish or bluish white, with brown and black streaks and blotches · 0.87–0.98 in
- Northern Mockingbird eggslight blue or greenish, spotted with red and brown · 0.87–1.06 in
- Blue Jay eggsbluish or light brown, spotted with brown and gray · 0.98–1.22 in
- Brown Thrasher eggspale blue or greenish, finely speckled with reddish brown · 0.98–1.14 in
Heavily blotched eggs
- Red-winged Blackbird eggspale blue-green or gray, with black, brown or purple streaks and scrawls · 0.87–1.02 in
- Common Grackle eggspale blue to pearl gray, with brown and black blotches and scrawls · 1.06–1.22 in
- American Kestrel eggswhite to pale reddish, blotched with brown and gray · 1.34–1.46 in
- American Crow eggsbluish green to olive, blotched with brown and gray · 1.50–1.81 in
- Red-tailed Hawk eggswhite or buff, blotched and spotted with brown · 2.17–2.56 in
- Osprey eggscream to pinkish cinnamon, blotched with reddish brown · 2.20–2.52 in
Cream, buff or tan eggs
- Wood Duck eggscreamy white to tan, unmarked · 1.81–2.32 in
- Mallard eggscreamy to greenish buff, unmarked · 2.05–2.60 in
- Wild Turkey eggspale tan or cream, speckled with reddish brown · 2.40–2.68 in
Native bird eggs and nests are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Look, photograph, and leave them in place. For nestling stages see baby birds.