avian clutch size
grrlscientist | December 11, 2008tags: evolution, avian clutch size, ornithology, birds, avian
The Little Tinamou, Crypturellus soui,
usually lays two eggs in a small depression on the forest floor.
Image: Cagan Sekercioglu [larger view].
Anyone who has ever watched birds closely or who has bred them in captivity knows that different species of birds have different clutch sizes, with some species laying only one egg while others produce as many as ten eggs per clutch or more. Why is there such a tremendous difference in clutch size? What evolutionary factors affect the average clutch size that each species produces? Do…