50 Seabirds that only come ashore to breed usually lay a single egg on a rocky ledge. Wading birds lay camouflaged eggs, to protect them on exposed coasts and estuaries. Fostered eggs A moorhen may dump its eggs into the nests of other moorhens. After this, it settles down to raise up to a dozen of its own eggs itself. A tern’s eggs Little terns usually lay their eggs in shingle. The eggs’ delicate patterning hides them among the pebbles. Gull eggs The great black-backed gull lays its eggs on the ground. Their speckled pattern hides them from predators. Eggs under guard Common terns fiercely protect their eggs by diving directly at intruders. Pointed shape The guillemot produces one of the most strikingly shaped and variably coloured eggs of all birds. Guillemots do not build nests. Instead, each female lays its single egg directly on to a bare cliff ledge. Normal egg Undersized egg Variations in size A clutch of eggs sometimes contains an undersized specimen. These two eggs are both from a shoveler duck. Important information It is illegal to collect or handle wild birds’ eggs. Cream and brown formWhite formStreaked grey form Guillemot