Bird Proctection Quebec's Monthly Meeting

Monday April 4, 2011


Time: 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm


Location: Knox Crescent, Kensington and First Presbyterian Church
625 Godfrey ave. NDGA LECTURE FOR EGG-HEADS with Dr. David Bird
Birds are the only taxon of vertebrates where no species bears live young. They lay eggs instead. Which bird species lays the largest egg? The smallest egg? Did you know that an extinct bird species used to lay eggs with a volume equivalent to 150 chicken eggs? How does one explain all the different colours and shapes of eggs? Why do some birds like American Robins lay such conspicuously coloured eggs? Why do some bird species lay a specific number of eggs while others can lay several clutches if need be? Have you ever been grossed out by a seemingly fertile egg in the frying pan? And do brown chicken eggs taste better than white ones? Find out the answers to these questions and many more in Dr. Bird's talk on eggs and clutches.

As a Full Professor of Wildlife Biology and Director of the Avian Science and Conservation Centre of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Dr. David Bird has published over 175 scientific papers on birds of prey and supervised over 40 graduate students. He has written and/or edited several books, the most recent ones being Birds of Canada (published by published by Dorling Kindersley) and The Bird Almanac: A Guide to Essential Facts and Figures on the World's Birds. Dr. Bird is a regular columnist for the Montreal Gazette as well as for BirdWatcher's Digest magazine and its newsletter, Backyard Bird News.