There’s a wide variety of egg shapes and colours across the Avian taxa, with some interesting explanations as to why and how these came about.
Did you know flamingo eggs contain sulphur, due to its antibacterial properties which helps to prevent infection from their muddy nest sites. Megapode eggshells are 31% thinner than other species to enable greater levels of gas exchange required by the embryo due to the fact that the eggs are buried in sediment throughout incubation.
Perhaps one of the most interesting adaptations of eggs is their camouflage, seen here in a Northern Lapwing nest. These different colours come from pigments deposited onto the shell as the egg forms in the oviduct, making the nest much harder to spot by passing predators.
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