EGGS Bird Eggs – egg size comparisons, bird egg facts and egg matching cards

3 different activities to engage with various types of birds’ eggs: The bird species in this collection were carefully selected to provide a variety of eggs in various colors, sizes and shapes as well as those birds that are mostly familiar/common and a few more obscure.

Activity One: Egg Sizes – Rank the 20 eggs of various sizes in order from the largest, Ostrich, to the smallest, bee hummingbird. A chicken egg is probably the most familiar bird egg, so use it as a comparison with the others. Keep in mind there are many size variations within each bird species.

The largest is an ostrich egg (about 6 inches long, 5 inches in diameter and about 2 lbs) and the smallest is a bee hummingbird (12.5×8.5mm) about the size of a small jelly bean or coffee bean. A bee hummingbird nest is only the size of a quarter. While we have some good general data on eggs, keep in mind sizes can vary even within the same species. You’ve probably noticed that some of the chicken eggs you get from the store are different sizes and others may even be different colors. This holds true for other species of birds too. Some ostrich eggs will be on the smaller side at 1.5 lbs and some of the biggest ones can get up to 3 lbs. When working with scientific data, we generally go with the averages (mean) or the most common (mode). This holds true for egg color as well. While some species are mostly consistent with easily identifiable specific characteristics, others may have a huge range of variances such as the common murre. 

• ostrich
• emu
• albatross
• bald eagle
• great blue heron
• puffin
• turkey
• mallard duck
• great horned owl
• chicken
• peregrine falcon
• ring-necked pheasant
• killdeer
• quail
• blue jay
• American robin
• cactus wren
• barn swallow
• ruby-throated hummingbird
• bee hummingbird

Activity Two: Egg Matching Cards – This activity is great for small children as they can play various matching games including “Memory” with the cards by making 2 copies of the pages. This set includes 12 different bird egg cards with labels. It’s also a great way to learn to identify some of the more common bird eggs that have unique colors.

• American crow
• American robin
• barn swallow
• blue jay
• broad-billed hummingbird
• cactus wren
• great hornbill
• killdeer
• meadowlark
• ostrich
• peregrine falcon
• red-winged blackbird

Activity Three: Egg Fact accordion octagon cards – This activity can be used in a variety of ways from just getting familiar with the interesting facts of the 16 birds and their eggs to guessing the bird that lays each egg.

• albatross
• American crow
• American robin
• barn swallow
• black guillemot
• blue-footed booby
• blue jay
• cactus wren
• California quail
• common murre
• great blue heron
• killdeer
• meadowlark
• peregrine falcon
• puffin
• red-winged blackbird

These cards can be cut out and folded accordion style so the egg image is on top and visible, egg facts are in the middle and corresponding bird image is at the back. Use these however you choose. They are interesting for children to engage with simply for their accordion design. You can build on the set by creating some of your own as you look up other birds and their eggs and see what data you find.

This product is an instant downloadable digital file in PDF format. Nothing is sent in the mail.

Supplement any activity or lesson on birds or eggs with these beautiful egg illustrations. How many of these birds that lay these eggs can be found where you live? Look at a map and learn about where other birds in this set live. For the egg images that do not have a bird image included, look for bird pictures that coordinate and find out all you can about them such as environments they live in, what they eat, what sounds they make, unique habits they have and more! What other animals lay eggs? Look into how these animals are similar to or different from bird eggs. If you search for common murre eggs online, you’ll discover the beautiful varieties these birds lay. You can create some beautiful egg art of your own using these as inspiration.

How to prepare your activity pages: We recommend printing the octagon accordion eggs onto regular paper for easier cutting and folding, but you can also use heavy cardstock if you prefer more durability. Copy the egg sizes and egg matching cards onto heavy cardstock and separate using scissors. If you are very low key, you can simply print on paper and cut, just keep in mind this style is not ideal for “memory” activities, but will overall work fine for most others.

Store in zipper pouches (see our Favorites for recommendations) or a zip-lock baggie.