Eggs evolved color and speckles only once — during the age of dinosaurs
Analysis of pigmentation in the eggs of modern birds and nonavian dinosaurs suggests similarities
![a photo of a large gray fossilized egg along with modern day eggs of different hues](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/103118_CG_dino-egg_feat.jpg?fit=860%2C460&ssl=1)
MOTTLED CREW Colorful eggshells were a trait shared not only by ancient and modern birds, but also by their theropod dinosaur ancestors (as seen in the large fossilized egg at right).
J. Wiemann/Yale Univ.