How big is that egg?
Egg size scales with the adult, but not linearly — the largest eggs ever laid were far bigger than any bird lays today.
Almost exactly a hen egg
60 g is bigger than 3 of the 8 references on this page.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| hummingbird egg | 0.5 g | 120× | |
| quail egg | 10 g | 6× | |
| hen egg | 58 g | 1.03× | A UK medium |
| duck egg | 70 g | 0.857× | |
| goose egg | 144 g | 0.417× | |
| emu egg | 600 g | 0.1× | |
| ostrich egg | 1,400 g | 1/23.3 | The largest laid today |
| elephant bird egg | 10,000 g | 1/167 | Extinct — about 150 hen eggs |
Worth knowing
- An ostrich egg weighs 1.4 kg — about 24 hen eggs — and takes 90 minutes to hard-boil.
- The extinct elephant bird of Madagascar laid the largest eggs known: 10 kg, with a volume of about 9 litres.
Frequently asked
How many hen eggs equal an ostrich egg?
About 24 by weight. In cooking terms one ostrich egg makes an omelette for a dozen people.
Why are kiwi eggs so large for the bird?
A kiwi egg is about 20% of the female’s body weight — proportionally the largest of any bird. The chick hatches fully feathered and almost independent.