Why Are Guillemot Eggs Pointed?

Collectors believed that guillemot eggs evolved to be pear shaped to prevent them from rolling off the ledges on which guillemots typically breed. ... The first was that the eggs were pointy so that it allowed them to rotate or spin like a top on their side if they were knocked or blown in the wind.

Why are eggs pointed?

Traditional explanations have suggested the long, pointy shape of eggs is to ensure they don't roll too far from the nest, or to squeeze their way more easily out of a bird's cloaca. ... Having wings that make flying more efficient and allow birds to venture further from home seems to match having longer or pointier eggs.

How big is a guillemot egg?

Ranging in size from that of a Goldcrest or Firecrest, hardly stretching to 14mm long along its longest axis, to that of a Mute Swan measuring an impressive 115mm long, eggs come in all shapes from almost round, to oval, to elliptical, and to pear-shaped and pointy.