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Bird eggs

9 eggs at true relative size, from the 18.3 mm egg of the Northern Rough-winged Swallow to the 24.5 mm egg of the Purple Martin.

About this collection. These eggs cover most of the birds that nest in Canada and the United States, plus a few famous eggs from elsewhere, like the Ostrich and the extinct Elephant Bird. It isn’t every bird in the world yet; we’ll update this note as the collection grows.

Make a poster of these 9 eggs
Purple Martin egg, 24.5 × 17.5 mm Horned Lark egg, 21.6 × 15.7 mm Cliff Swallow egg, 20.3 × 13.9 mm Cave Swallow egg, 19.5 × 14 mm Barn Swallow egg, 18.8 × 13.5 mm Tree Swallow egg, 18.7 × 13.2 mm Violet-green Swallow egg, 18.7 × 13.1 mm Bank Swallow egg, 18.5 × 13 mm Northern Rough-winged Swallow egg, 18.3 × 13.2 mm
All 9 eggs at the same scale, largest first. Tap an egg to jump to it.
Bank Swallow egg, 18.5 × 13 mm

Bank Swallow

Riparia riparia

  • 18.5 × 13 mm
  • Clutch: 3–5 eggs

White.

Sources of information

Size
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Bank Swallow, Life History.
Description
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Bank Swallow, Life History.
Drawing checked against a photo: Bird Eggs of Canada photo (Royal Saskatchewan Museum).
Clutch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds.
Shape
Drawn from the length and width, with the taper estimated from the typical eggs of its group (how these eggs are drawn).

Make a 3D-printable copy of this egg →See posters with this egg →

Barn Swallow egg, 18.8 × 13.5 mm

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

  • 18.8 × 13.5 mm
  • Clutch: 3–7 eggs

Creamy or pinkish white, spotted with brown, lavender, and gray.

Sources of information

Size
Average of 50 eggs: Bent, Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies (U.S. National Museum Bulletin 179, 1942), p. 448.
Agrees with: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Barn Swallow, Life History.
Description
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Barn Swallow, Life History.
Drawing checked against a photo: Wikimedia Commons photo; Bird Eggs of Canada photo (Royal Saskatchewan Museum).
Clutch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds.
Shape
Drawn from the length and width, with the taper estimated from the typical eggs of its group (how these eggs are drawn).

Make a 3D-printable copy of this egg →See posters with this egg →

Cave Swallow egg, 19.5 × 14 mm

Cave Swallow

Petrochelidon fulva

  • 19.5 × 14 mm
  • Clutch: 1–5 eggs

White, with fine dark spots.

Sources of information

Size
Average of 43 eggs: Bent, Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies (U.S. National Museum Bulletin 179, 1942), p. 489.
Agrees with: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Cave Swallow, Life History.
Description
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Cave Swallow, Life History.
Clutch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds.
Shape
Drawn from the length and width, with the taper estimated from the typical eggs of its group (how these eggs are drawn).

Make a 3D-printable copy of this egg →

Cliff Swallow egg, 20.3 × 13.9 mm

Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

  • 20.3 × 13.9 mm
  • Clutch: 1–6 eggs

White, creamy, or pinkish, with brown speckles or blotches.

Sources of information

Size
Average of 50 eggs: Bent, Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies (U.S. National Museum Bulletin 179, 1942), p. 474.
Agrees with: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Cliff Swallow, Life History.
Description
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Cliff Swallow, Life History.
Drawing checked against a photo: Bird Eggs of Canada photo (Royal Saskatchewan Museum).
Clutch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds.
Shape
Drawn from the length and width, with the taper estimated from the typical eggs of its group (how these eggs are drawn).

Make a 3D-printable copy of this egg →See posters with this egg →

Horned Lark egg, 21.6 × 15.7 mm

Horned Lark

Eremophila alpestris

  • 21.6 × 15.7 mm
  • Clutch: 2–5 eggs

Dark pearl gray to pale gray spotted with cinnamon brown or brownish-olive.

Sources of information

Size
Average of 50 eggs: Bent, Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies (U.S. National Museum Bulletin 179, 1942), p. 348.
Agrees with: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Horned Lark, Life History.
Description
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Horned Lark, Life History.
Drawing checked against a photo: Wikimedia Commons photo; Bird Eggs of Canada photo (Royal Saskatchewan Museum).
Clutch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds.
Shape
Drawn from the length and width, with the taper estimated from the typical eggs of its group (how these eggs are drawn).

Make a 3D-printable copy of this egg →See posters with this egg →

Northern Rough-winged Swallow egg, 18.3 × 13.2 mm

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

  • 18.3 × 13.2 mm
  • Clutch: 4–8 eggs

White.

Sources of information

Size
Average of 50 eggs: Bent, Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies (U.S. National Museum Bulletin 179, 1942), p. 428.
Description
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Life History.
Drawing checked against a photo: Bird Eggs of Canada photo (Royal Alberta Museum).
Clutch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds.
Shape
Drawn from the length and width, with the taper estimated from the typical eggs of its group (how these eggs are drawn).

Make a 3D-printable copy of this egg →See posters with this egg →

Purple Martin egg, 24.5 × 17.5 mm

Purple Martin

Progne subis

  • 24.5 × 17.5 mm
  • Clutch: 3–6 eggs

Pure white and smooth.

Sources of information

Size
Average of 50 eggs: Bent, Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies (U.S. National Museum Bulletin 179, 1942), p. 494.
Agrees with: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Purple Martin, Life History.
Description
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Purple Martin, Life History.
Drawing checked against a photo: Bird Eggs of Canada photo (Royal Saskatchewan Museum).
Clutch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds.
Shape
Drawn from the length and width, with the taper estimated from the typical eggs of its group (how these eggs are drawn).

Make a 3D-printable copy of this egg →See posters with this egg →

Tree Swallow egg, 18.7 × 13.2 mm

Tree Swallow

Tachycineta bicolor

  • 18.7 × 13.2 mm
  • Clutch: 4–7 eggs

Pale pink, turning to pure white within 4 days.

Sources of information

Size
Average of 50 eggs: Bent, Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies (U.S. National Museum Bulletin 179, 1942), p. 389.
Agrees with: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Tree Swallow, Life History.
Description
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Tree Swallow, Life History.
Drawing checked against a photo: Bird Eggs of Canada photo (Royal Saskatchewan Museum).
Clutch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds.
Shape
Drawn from the length and width, with the taper estimated from the typical eggs of its group (how these eggs are drawn).

Make a 3D-printable copy of this egg →See posters with this egg →

Violet-green Swallow egg, 18.7 × 13.1 mm

Violet-green Swallow

Tachycineta thalassina

  • 18.7 × 13.1 mm
  • Clutch: 4–6 eggs

Pure white, without markings.

Sources of information

Size
Average of 50 eggs: Bent, Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies (U.S. National Museum Bulletin 179, 1942), p. 378.
Agrees with: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Violet-green Swallow, Life History.
Description
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Violet-green Swallow, Life History.
Drawing checked against a photo: Bird Eggs of Canada photo (Royal Alberta Museum).
Clutch
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds.
Shape
Drawn from the length and width, with the taper estimated from the typical eggs of its group (how these eggs are drawn).

Make a 3D-printable copy of this egg →See posters with this egg →

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