The Most Perfect Thing: Inside (and Outside) a Bird’s Egg by Tim Birkhead

‘I think that, if required on pain of death to name instantly the most perfect thing in the universe, I should risk my fate on a bird’s egg’ – Thomas Wentworth Higginson, 1862

How are eggs of different shapes made, and why are they the shape they are? When does the shell of an egg harden? Why do some eggs contain two yolks? How are the colours and patterns of an eggshell created, and why do they vary? And which end of an egg is laid first – the blunt end or the pointy end?

These are just some of the questions A Bird’s Egg answers, as the journey of a bird’s egg from creation and fertilisation to its eventual hatching is examined, with current scientific knowledge placed within an historical context. Beginning with an examination of the stunning eggs of the guillemot, each of which is so variable in pattern and colour that no two are ever the same, acclaimed ornithologist Tim Birkhead then looks at the eggs of hens, cuckoos and many other birds, revealing weird and wonderful facts about these miracles of nature. Woven around and supporting these facts are extraordinary stories of the individuals who from as far back as Ancient Egypt have been fixated on the study and collection of eggs, not always to the benefit of their conservation.

Firmly grounded in science and enriched by a wealth of observation drawn from a lifetime spent studying birds, A Bird’s Egg is an illuminating and engaging exploration of the science behind eggs and the history of man’s obsession with them.

Discount Code for Science Book a Day Readers: Enter SBAD30 at the checkout on bloomsbury.com

Published: April 2016 | ISBN: 9781408851258

Mini-bio: Timothy Rob “Tim” Birkhead is a British zoologist, and professor of behavior and evolution at the University of Sheffield. Wikipedia

The Independent Book Review
Kirkus Reviews Book Review
Mark Avery Book Review
Publishers Weekly Book Review