What type of birds build their nest on the ground?

There is a nest on the ground in my yard inbetween some fern leaves and it has 3 blue eggs in it. It was deffinately built there, it didn't blow down from a tree, it is all intact. I live in NH if that helps. And before you tell me to leave it alone, I am not interested in disturbing it. I am just curious.

What type of birds build their nest on the ground?
There are a number of ground-nesting birds in NH, from killdeer to gamebirds like pheasant, turkey, and quail, to the night birds like whip-poor-wills. But I know of none that lay blue eggs. Most are buff, brown, olive or white.



Also, ground-nesting birds do not construct nests the same way tree-nesting birds do. They just make a depression in the ground or lay the eggs among dead leaves.



If this is a nest, it had to come from a tree or shrub. Maybe it fell, and the mother repaired it and continued to use it on the ground? Robins would be the first bird I think of with blue eggs. Keep an eye on it and see what comes around that area. Maybe you'll see a bird sitting on the eggs toward evening.
Reply:There are hundreds of bird species that build their nest on the ground. Hard to say exactly which type of nest this is. I might guess it's an American Robin as these are pretty common birds and they do lay blue eggs. Robins can be ground nesters although it is not typical.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/time_one/50...
Reply:Sometimes Robins built their nest on the groun, especially if the grass is a bit tall. Normally they bult their nest in scotchpine trees. They lay two blue eggs
Reply:Big Bird
Reply:Maybe quials.
Reply:Robins, bluebirds, and some thrushes also lay blue eggs. If you can't post a picture of them, try googling some of these birds and see if there are pictures of eggs that look like the ones you found.