British Bird Egg Identification Chart

bird nest found in the bird egg identification chart

Finding bird eggs can be thrilling, whether in your garden or on a walk in the woods. However, it’s easy to get confused if you want to identify British bird eggs! Our birds’ eggs come in various sizes, shapes and colours, and if you’re determined to identify your latest find, you will need a bird egg identification chart. Fortunately, we have just the thing! To help you figure out which birds you have nesting in your garden or what nest you’ve stumbled across in the wild, we’ve put together a bird egg identification chart for some of our common British bird eggs.

Before we take a look at our bird egg identification chart, though, you must be aware of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This law states that you cannot, under any circumstances, intentionally take, harm or destroy any wild bird, their eggs or their nests. You may face an unlimited fine, imprisonment for up to 6 months or both. So remember, you can look, but don’t touch.

Let’s find out how to identify some British bird eggs!

Blackbird

Size: 29 x 22 mm

Weight: 7.2 g

Clutch Size: 3–4 eggs

Nesting Season: March-July

Blackbird eggs have smooth, glossy shells of a pale blue colour, dotted with reddy shades of brown.

Although the nesting season is officially March – July, this can change depending on the weather. So, you may see blackbird chicks in their nests as late as August. A blackbird’s nest is usually a cup of small twigs, grass and plant material lined with mud and fine grass.

Blue Tit

Size: 16 x 12 mm

Weight: 1.1 g

Clutch Size: 5–12 eggs

Nesting Season: March-June

The eggs of blue tits are white with purple-brown spots and smooth, glossy shells.

Although most clutches contain between 5 and 12 eggs, there have been cases of blue tits laying up to 16 eggs.[i] A blue tit female will build her nest from moss and line it with soft feathers or fur.

Bullfinch

Size: 19 x 55 mm

Weight: 2.1 g

Clutch Size: 4–7 eggs

Nesting Season: April-July

Bullfinch eggs are similar to those of a blackbird, with glossy pale blue shells. However, they are smaller and have more purple-brown spots.

A bullfinch nest is simply constructed using twigs and moss and hidden in bushes and woodland.

Carrion Crow

Size: 43 x 30 mm

Weight: 19.8 g

Clutch Size: 3–6 eggs

Nesting Season: April-May

A carrion crow’s eggs are a pale blue-green and speckled with dark brown and grey streaks.

Parents create a large nest out of anything they can find, including twigs, bones and rags, and hide them in tall bushes.

Chaffinch

Size: 19 x 55 mm

Weight: 2.2 g

Clutch Size: 4–5 eggs

Nesting Season: April-July

Chaffinch eggs are pale blue with purple-brown spots.

Although they are similar to bullfinch eggs, chaffinch eggs have markings all over the shell, whereas bullfinch eggs are only marked on one end. The chaffinch’s nest is built in a cup shape from moss and grass and lined with feathers and wool.

Collared Dove

Size: 31 x 24 mm

Weight: 9.2 g

Clutch Size: 2 eggs

Nesting Season: February-October

A collared dove’s eggs are white, with smooth, glossy shells.

Although their clutches are only small, with 2 eggs laid each time, they have 2 – 5 clutches each year, hence the early start to the nesting season. A collared dove nest is a simple bundle of sticks big enough to hold the mother and her eggs.

Dunnock

Size: 19 x 55 mm

Weight: 2.1 g

Clutch Size: 4–6 eggs

Nesting Season: April-July

The eggs of a dunnock are a bright blue and do not have any markings. They are similar in appearance to a starling egg; only a dunnock’s eggs are bigger.

Dunnocks build their small, neat nests with twigs and line them with moss and hair.

Goldfinch

Size: 17 x 13 mm

Weight: 1.5 g

Clutch Size: 3–7 eggs

Nesting Season: April-September

Goldfinch eggs are pale blue with red markings dotted sparsely around the shell.

Their nests are usually made of plant stems and grass, then lined inside with feathers, thistle, hair, or fur.

Great Tit

Size: 18 x 14 mm

Weight: 1.7 g