All About Eggs: A Crowd Favourite for 10 Years

The special exhibition "All About Eggs" is on display for the 10th time this year in the new building of the Nature Museum. Since its inception in 2017, it has been one of the museum's most visited exhibitions: Last year, around 13,000 visitors delved into the diverse world of egg-layers, offering surprises beyond just Easter treats.

Not Every Egg Hatches a Bird

A glance at the special exhibition "All About Eggs" reveals great diversity. On a catwalk, various representatives of the bird world are presented: from the largest, flightless bird—the African ostrich—to the Appenzeller Spitzhauben chicken, a delicate domestic breed with a unique head crest. In a floor showcase, the varied selection of bird eggs can be discovered: the light blue eggs of the grey heron, brown-speckled ones of the great tit, or the red eggs of the Japanese bush warbler. But the world of egg-layers is much broader: It also includes amphibians, reptiles, fish, and even mammals like the platypus or the short-beaked echidna. Their eggs differ in colour and shape from classic bird eggs: snake eggs have a parchment-like shell, platypuses lay yellow eggs with a leathery shell, and small sea turtles develop in eggs resembling table tennis balls. "Visitors are often surprised to learn who all belong to the egg-layers," observes Museum Director Matthias Meier. "We like to use the seasonal connection to spring to showcase the entire spectrum of egg-layers, starting with the Easter egg."

From the Amazon to Local River Landscapes

The range of egg-layers is correspondingly wide in the exhibition's accompanying programme. In March, two events spotlight the bird world: In the "knowledge bite" on March 18th, Madeleine Geiger, Head of Collection and Research at the Nature Museum St. Gallen, discusses extinct bird species, while Birdlife St. Gallen presents the kingfisher as the Bird of the Year 2026 on March 26th. Thanks to special protection measures, it still belongs to the native bird species, benefiting from a natural aquatic habitat. In April, the focus shifts to other egg-layers: In the evening lecture on April 8th, Professor Marcelo Sánchez from the University of Zurich's Palaeontological Institute reports on the evolution of fish in the Amazon. A week later, on April 15th, Karin Urfer, curator of invertebrates at the Nature Museum St. Gallen, presents the wasp spider as the Spider of the Year 2026. On Easter Saturday, April 4th, Museum Director Matthias Meier leads a tour through the special exhibition at 9 am, offering an exclusive insight outside regular opening hours. Part of this will include feeding the live animals, such as hatching chicks, quails, large insects, and giant African land snails. From 1:30 pm, the popular egg painting for families takes place.

Media Contact:

Dr. Matthias Meier, Museum Director, T 071 243 40 30

naturmuseumsg.ch

Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher. Image rights: Naturmuseum St. Gallen / Photographer: Jean-Claude Jossen