• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

Bird eggs come in all different colors, sizes and shapes. They're found in vastly different locations, too -- from clifftops to ground nests and everywhere in between.

In Bird Eggs: A Young Naturalist's Guide, ornithologist Mark Peck takes young readers on an exploration of bird eggs in all their variety. The book starts off with everything you need to know about eggs, from what they are, to how they're made, to what predators eat them. The following chapters cover key topics about bird eggs -- shape, size, color and location -- and feature beautiful full-page photos with captions and inset images. Here are just some of the birds and their eggs that you'll learn about:

• Great Horned Owl eggs are nearly spherical, while Common Murre eggs are among the most asymmetrical and elliptical. Why would this be? Several scientists have concluded that a bird's flight ability affects the shape of its egg.
• Ostrich eggs are huge, on average weighing over three pounds and measuring up to 6 inches long and five inches wide. Their size is surpassed by the now-extinct Elephant Bird's eggs, which measure about 12 inches long and 8 inches wide.
• Killdeer eggs, which are buff with brown markings, are laid on the ground out in the open. The color and pattern of the eggs help them blend into their surroundings.

The book is capped with a chapter on conservation and protection, with information on how kids can help by being a citizen scientist, monitoring backyard nests and building nest boxes.

Bird Eggs is sure to enthrall and inspire the next generation of young ornithologists and bird lovers with its informative text and beautiful photos.

Mark Peck is an ornithologist with the Royal Ontario Museum. He is involved in collections management, public programs, gallery development (Schad Gallery of Biodiversity and the Patrick and Barbara Keenan Family Gallery of Hands-on Biodiversity), and he has served as a curatorial consultant for several exhibitions. He is also a contributing author and photographer for The Birds of Nunavut and wrote the text for Deborah Samuel's book The Extraordinary Beauty of Birds. Mark is also the Program Director for the Toronto Ornithological Club, the ROM liaison for the Ontario Bird Records Committee, and a consultant for Ontario Birds/Ontario Field Ornithologists. Mark is an avid natural history photographer with a special interest in breeding and nesting birds.

Mark Peck's profile page