Expert: Julia Booth - 8/22/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I found an egg underneath my house. The egg is 3cm long. I live in Australia, and its a long oval shaped egg. How war should i keep it for incubation? And would it be a reptile or bird?

Please reply ASAP
Thank you for your help

Regards Jeff

ANSWER: If the eggs is hard shelled and not soft or leathery, then it belongs to a bird. Also reptile eggs tend to be round.

Given your location and the size of the egg, that narrows it down to about 100 species. You found it on the ground, which means it's probably a game bird, unless you live near the shore. It could be a number of birds. I am not intimately familiar with the fauna of your continent. But with the right details, I might be able to steer you towards an ID. You could take a picture of the egg and send it to me in e-mail: juliabohemian@aol.com

The size of the egg tells you the size of the bird. Three centimeters is probably a medium sized ground bird, like a quail or grouse. Incubation period will be about 3 weeks. The only caveat is that the egg may or may not be viable, if it was abandoned under your house. You don't know how long it was there. The chick inside could already be dead. Smelling the egg would be your first clue, although an egg can rot from the inside and not begin to produce an odor until the bacteria forces the shell to crack.

There is a process called "candling" that might help you figure out whether or not the egg is viable. You can find instructions here: http://shilala.homestead.com/candling.html

If it is viable...Generally, between 99-101 degrees farenheit does the job for any bird egg. The egg will have to be turned regularly, so that it's evenly heated. Use an incubator. A heating pad has too many hot spots and you will end up frying it.

This website is for game birds. But the same principles apply.

http://www.querycat.com/faq/b857eb13ef6e3c79dd150d3e32e97634

Let me know how it turns out. Don't kick yourself if the egg doesn't hatch. Eighty percent of the birds born in one year do not make it to the following year. Their chances in human hands is even less than that.

Julia



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I live in drie bushland, and most birds in our area are minors, magpies and wild pigions. I'l send a picture to your adress.

Thanks for the help

Answer
Mynas, Crested Pigeons, The Australian Magpie and the Magpies Lark all nest in trees or bushes and not on the ground. I'm doubting that's it. The Kookaburra will nest down low, perhaps in the hollow of a tree. Their eggs are long, about 3 cm and pale in color.

Some species of parrots in Australia have been known to nest on the ground as well. Rockwarblers nest in low and dark places, but their eggs would be way too small to be the one you've got.

I didn't receive the image. You can still send it. But my expertise is rather limited for the birds on your continent.

This is an excellent search engine for Australian birds. They also can be contacted for further information: http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/contact/scientific.cfm