Among the millions of eggs in birds’ nests throughout the world, some are round and others are oval or pear-shaped. They have a wide range of colors and markings—from pure white to pink, brown, blue, green, yellow and even black.
It is a provision of the Creator to use an egg’s coloring primarily to match its surroundings so it can’t be easily seen. For instance, those of many desert birds match the color of the sand, rocks or brush around them. A striking example of how the pretty, soft-pink color can conceal an egg from its enemies is found in the egg of the African sand grouse. She makes her nest on the ground underneath a camel’s foot tree, which has leaves the same color as the eggs. When the leaves fall around or into the nest, the eggs are almost impossible to see.
Eggs of owls, woodpeckers, kingfishers and many other burrowing birds are always white, so the parents can easily see them in their dark homes. Another example of the Creator’s provision is the plovers that nest on sandy or rocky ground. Their eggs are entirely covered with markings that perfectly match the sand or gravel on which the nest rests.
With seabirds that make their homes on rocky cliffs without using a nest, the Creator has arranged an exception to uniform coloring. In a small, crowded space where eggs laid by many birds of the same kind lie almost next to each other on the bare rock, amazingly, the color of each bird’s eggs are often different from those of its nearby neighbor. Otherwise no mother would be sure which were her own.
Occasionally, nests easily seen contain brightly colored eggs that seem to invite being snatched by nest robbers, but instead they are left undisturbed. That is because these eggs have a very bitter taste. No matter how hungry a snake, mongoose or other robber might be, after one experience they definitely are not interested in eating another.
The variety of egg shapes is also of interest. Many seashore birds, such as those already mentioned that lay their eggs on the bare ledge of a cliff without a nest to hold them, have eggs that are pointed on one end and large on the other. When these eggs are accidentally bumped, they won’t roll over the edge and be destroyed; they just spin around in a circle.
We know birds never give a thought to the wonderful design of their eggs, but we can easily see that they are special provisions of the Creator. A Bible verse tells us, “The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:99The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. (Psalm 145:9)). This includes you. Have you ever thanked Him for His goodness and tender mercies toward you?
ML-06/27/2010