Eggs without a mate

[Amoeba]

Like chickens, can other bird species lay infertile eggs without a mate?

[valleyforge]

Yes ... that can certainly happen.

With a number of female birds we have had in our long-term care, some of them have gone on to lay eggs year after year ... house sparrows and greenfinches in particular.

Although the nesting instinct can be there, as often as not the eggs are 'laid' from a top perch, rather than in a nesting basket, and the birds never make any attempt at brooding.

[rossy]

i have found starling eggs on the grass but would you class a cuckoo as one bird in that category. rossy.

[tcvarlh]

Parrots do, year after year, Racing pigeons do to, although the nesting instinct does seem to need a mate, I would assume the laying of eggs is much like a pet bitch coming into season or captive wild bird males developing display plumage. For every thing... there is a season...

Even Cuckoos have to mate to lay viable eggs rossy, no mate, no chick, just a sterile egg. I don't know of anyone having observed it, someone must have tho'.

h

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by rossy

... but would you class a cuckoo as one bird in that category.

Not sure I follow you rossy ... but cuckoos do have to mate (with another cuckoo) before they lay their eggs ... only they choose to do so in the nest of other birds, and then play no further part in the hatching or rearing of their young.

[willing to learn]

Captive birds of prey can lay eggs, with out the stimulation of a mate and sit and care for the eggs for sometime, before they give up.
Regards
Colin

[clackdish]

budgies do and they will sit them for term as well, at least mine did, i used to be an avid breeder, when i say term i mean as if they where fertile and sit for the full normal period