Duck egg blue and oviraptor green: study reconstructs colour of dinosaur eggs

A new study of oviraptor eggshell fragments shows remarkable similarities between the reproductive biology of dinosaurs and birds

Bird eggs come in a variety of colours. From the creamy and chalky whites in doves and pigeons to spotted yellow lapwing eggs and brown chicken eggs, to the blues of blackbirds and American robins. The striking colours and patterns have inspired artists, scientists and home decor makers from Aristotle to high-end jewellers. Thanks to palaeontology, we can now add oviraptor blue-green to the spectrum.

Remarkably, only two chemical compounds bring about the whole spectrum of bird egg coloration and patterning: reddish-brown protoporphyrin IX and green-blue biliverdin. Both pigments have distinctly different chemical properties, and whereas biliverdin is distributed throughout the inner core layer of the eggshell, protoporphyrin IX is limited to the outermost eggshell layer.