What color would you expect the eggs of songbirds to be?
The chicken eggs that you find in the store have eggshells that are a plainJane vanilla color.
Not so the colors that you'll observe if you view the shells of the eggs that are laid by Mother Nature's wild, feathered friends.
Please do not be shocked and amazed when you discover that the eggshell color of blue jays and bluebirds are the same color as their namesake.
Or, along that same line of reasoning, one might come to the conclusion that the eggs of the cardinal are hued in some version of vermillion or crimson. Nope! They are not! Life's little lesson plans are not that simple and straightforward.
Robins are the birds that many of us most associate with eggshells the color of a springtime sky. Maybe you have chanced a quick glance at the contents of a robin's nest or perchance you found an empty, cast-aside robin egg shell on your home's lawn.
Scientists have noted that some robin eggs are a brighter shade of blue than are other eggs of other robins. The conjecture is that healthy, robust female robins lay eggs that are a richer shade of navy blue. Maybe there is a possibility that the bird's mate will take note of the color intensity and be stimulated to take a more-concerted effort in parenting. I am not so sure if it is all based on a wild scientist's wild guess or, instead, is the result of painstaking field research notes.
As for me, I am going to more closely watch the nesting behavior of the wild birds that live near my home. Maybe I will learn something new. I'd encourage you to do the same.
Neil Garrison was the longtime naturalist at a central Oklahoma nature center. His email is atlatlgarrison@hotmail.com.