Minnesota DNR: EagleCam nest egg to hatch any day

(ABC 6 News) – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) EagleCam nest egg is expected to hatch at any day.

The lone egg in the eagle’s nest has been incubating for roughly 35 days. The DNR says the incubation period usually takes about 34 to 39 days before a fuzzy-headed chick will emerge.

On March 1, just days after the female eagle laid a second egg, the DNR reported that one of the two eggs in the nest had broken.

RELATED: ‘EagleCam’ eagle egg breaks

The DNR said the male and female were switching incubation duties when the male rose with one egg stuck to his brood patch, an area of bare skin that all adult eagles have in order to incubate their eggs. It’s unclear if the egg was already broken when the male stood up or if it happened earlier.

The eagle laid its first egg on Feb. 15 and its second on Feb. 18. The second egg is believed to be the one intact.

The DNR recognized how unfortunate it is to lose an egg but noted that this will increase the remaining egg’s chances of survival. The survival rate of eagle chicks to flight is 50%.

The DNR’s EagleCam is in its tenth year and streamed by millions of people from around the world. The EagleCam is funded by the agency’s non-game wildlife program which helps hundreds of species of Minnesota wildlife thrive. For more information on how you can support the program, CLICK HERE.

To view the EagleCam, CLICK HERE.