Oology

Oology

ōˈ(w)äləjē

Noun

  • The study or collecting of birds’ eggs.

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Example Sentences

“A fascination with oology had me spending a lot of time in the woods last spring.”

“The only scientific study Leo seemed interested in was oology.”

“Oology can lead to the illegal collection of wild birds’ eggs.”

Word Origin

Greek, early 19th century

Why this word?

“Oology” combines “oo-,” a Greek word-forming element meaning “egg,” and “-logy,” a suffix that indicates a field of study. Any casual bird-watcher can practice oology (although observing is better practice than collecting wild bird eggs), but it’s also a scientific field with practical application. In the 1960s, British naturalist and oologist Derek Ratcliffe compared peregrine falcon eggs from historical collections with more recent eggshells and was able to determine a decline in shell thickness over time. This helped establish a link between the declining British populations of birds of prey and the use of pesticides and insecticides.

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