The ratio of infertile to fertile eggs increases with scarcity of food at the time of egg laying. The ladybug life cycle begins with an egg. Egg – eggs are laid by female birds in clutches ranging in number from just 1 for condors to […]   She usually deposits her eggs on a plant with suitable prey for her offspring to eat when they hatch; aphids are a favorite food. These appear to provide a backup food source for the larvae when they hatch. Once she has mated, the female ladybug lays a cluster of five to 30 eggs. The Life Cycle Of A Bird Once a baby bird has hatched it goes through a number of stages before it reaches full maturity and understanding the life cycle of a bird can help with identification. The entire life cycle of the ladybird is only 4 – 7 weeks. The bird life cycle is a simple circle that moves from egg to hatchling to vulnerable nestling to fledgling learning to fly and finally to mature bird ready to mate and begin the life cycle over again. Ladybirds lay extra infertile eggs with the fertile eggs.