Bird Term: Oology

Oology is the study of bird eggs. It also refers to the study of bird nests and breeding behavior. Oology can also refer to the hobby of egg collecting, which is illegal in many locations.

Early scientific ornithological study often involved collecting birds by shooting them to study their anatomy and plumage up close. It also involved the collection and study of their eggs. Scientists studying the difference between samples of Pergrine Falcon eggs over time were able to identify DDT usage as the cause of a decline in raptor populations in the 1960s and 1970s.

Egg collecting as a hobby remained popular as the scientific value of this type of study declined. This was extremely popular especially in the United Kingdom, though the hobby was denounced by the British Ornithologists' Union as early as 1922. Although UK laws have made the amateur hobby collection of eggs illegal since 1954, oologists continue to pursue the hobby by collecting eggs. Egg collecting is illegal in many other jurisdictions as well, including the United States.

Read more:

Bird egg illustrations
Bird egg illustrations by Biodiversity Heritage Library (CC BY 2.0)
Blue eggs in robin next
Robin nest with eggs by gardener41 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
House Finch eggs
House Finch nest with eggs by John Flannery (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Mallard nest
Mallard nest with eggs by Jeremy Halls (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Comments

Vibrators on May 30, 2019 at 2:02 PM wrote:
The Eurasian tree sparrow's untidy nest is built in a natural cavity, a hole in a building or the large nest of a European magpie or white stork. The typical clutch is five or six eggs which hatch in under two weeks. This sparrow feeds mainly on seeds, but invertebrates are also consumed, particularly during the breeding season. As with other small birds, infection by parasites and diseases, and predation by birds of prey take their toll, and the typical life span is about two years.

Leave a comment

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.
Your email address will not be published

Fun Facts about Monk Parakeets

Monk Parakeets, also known as Quaker Parrots in aviculture, are medium-sized parakeets with a mostly green plumage, gray at the forehead and throat, and a pale pink bill. Here are some facts about these cute birds: The native range of Monk Parakeets...

Pick from 100 Birdorable Coloring Pages with Cute Birds

We recently added a couple of new coloring pages and we now have 100 different ones for your coloring pleasure. From Attwater's Prairie Chicken to White-rumped Vulture, we have birds from around the world, all cutified in the original Birdorable style. After downloading your favorites...

2013 Bonanza Bird #27: African Fish-Eagle

Happy Saturday! Today's Bonanza bird is the African Fish-Eagle. African Fish-Eagles are large birds of prey that live in sub-Saharan parts of Africa. They eat a lot of fish (hence the name), but they will also steal prey from other birds or take...

T-Shirt Tuesday: Loggerhead Kingbird Baby Bodysuit

This week's featured t-shirt is a brand-new baby product that was recently added to our store: this adorable Baby Football Bodysuit featuring our Birdorable Loggerhead Kingbird. This beautiful bird can be found on the Caribbean islands, including the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba and Puerto Rico, and...