Russell’s management of the egg collection at the museum is no small endeavor: The museum holds more than 750,000 study skins, along with mounts, skeletons, eggs, and nests, representing 95 percent of the world’s bird species. It boasts one of the largest collections of nests and eggs worldwide, with more than 4,000 nests and 200,000 clutches of eggs totaling more than a million individual eggs (see tinyurl.com/Tring-nests). The egg collection contains specimens from across the globe, from the 1700s through present day, although many of the older specimens owe their origins to British colonialism and collecting wild bird eggs now requires a permit. The museum is slowly digitizing the entire collection, but until they achieve that ambitious goal, the book provides a rare glimpse into the museum’s treasures.

The 256-page book features the nests of 119 species from the museum, with the earliest collected in 1768 and the most recent in 2020, by many individuals and expeditions, including Captain James Cook, naturalist George Latimer Bates, and the author himself. Each featured species has a two-page spread, with the common and scientific names, along with fun facts about the species, such as the origin of the bird’s name, and details, if available, as to how the nest came into the museum’s possession. Each account also includes the egg or nest measurements, clutch size, where and when collected, and the species’ conservation status.

Accompanying the text is a beautiful photo of the nest—captured in a way that you can almost feel the texture of the mud and entwined grass. The photos provide behind-the-scenes insight, often showing the collection notes written either directly on the egg or on small paper tags tied carefully to the nest. Some eggs, like those of ground-nesting seabirds, are shown solo, whereas a nest cup and its eggs may appear together in a small wooden box.

Given the museum’s extensive collection, how the featured species were selected is unclear. But the book displays an impressive diversity of nests from across the globe, including cavity, platform, twig, mud, and pendulous basket nests. Nests are presented taxonomically according to The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, starting with the extinct Syrian Ostrich. The book includes common species like the Green-winged Teal, and secretive forest species like the Superb Pitta from Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. Special highlights include the Great Auk, extinct since 1844, and the nest and egg of the Laysan Rail—one of the only known examples attesting this extinct species that was endemic to Laysan Island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

The book is lovely as is, but a few additions would take it to the next level. First, each spread describes where the species occurs, but a map showing the range and a picture or drawing of the species, even if small in the corner of a page, would aid those who do not have previous familiarity with all the species described in the book. Additionally, although spread lists the nest or egg dimensions, it can be hard for a reader to fully grasp the absolute size and relative scale. Adding a small graphic that compares the egg’s size, relative to the largest egg in the book (the hefty 5.5-inch x 4.5-inch Syrian Ostrich egg), would provide important context. And although the book’s index is based off taxonomy following the order of the 119 nests, for those less intimate with avian orders and families, creating a secondary index organized by common name or world region would be a thoughtful addition. Finally, including references as footnotes or citations would not only be appropriate from a scientific standpoint, but also would also satisfy more curious minds.

This book isn’t a field guide that will help you identify whose eggshell landed in your yard, and it’s not intended to be. Instead, it is a lovely introduction to a celebrated museum’s vast holdings and chock-full of interesting factoids, making it a great gift for researchers and serious avian enthusiasts alike.

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Jenny McKee earned her PhD studying Nazca Boobies (Sula granti) in the Galápagos Islands and is particularly passionate about seabirds and shorebirds. She has written for National Geographic, Audubon magazine, and Hakai Magazine and lives in North Carolina with her family.