oological

oological or oölogical (oh-uh-LOJ-i-kuhl) - adj., of or pertaining to the collection and study of bird eggs.


Said collection is now illegal in many places, to avoid endangering wildlife -- especially since it's the already rare species that would be most prized. Thus, oology now is more the study of eggs, and itself is not an especially important branch of ornithology, having been thoroughly practiced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Coined from Ancient Greek roots oion, egg + -olog(y), study of + -cal, adjectival ending. And just for all that, some eggs:


Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.