UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology houses an extensive collection of bird eggs and nests, making it one of the largest in North America. The collection includes nearly 14,800 sets of bird eggs, amounting to 57,883 individual eggs and 1,300 bird nests. The eggs stored in the museum's custom-made cabinets come from both extinct and contemporary bird species from around the globe.

The museum primarily serves as a research facility for scientists and students, offering tours for educational groups. In 2024, it hosted 31 tours for about 735 visitors. Public access to the eggs and their corresponding data is available online, with millions of records being accessed by researchers in 2024.

The museum's collection strategy aligns with the vision of its founding director, Joseph Grinnell. Novel discoveries are made by comparing specimens and analyzing historical data. Museum curator Rauri Bowie emphasized, “Eggs are remarkable structures, and with each new advancement in technology, we uncover even more about them.”

Efforts to study environmental impacts like DDT have benefited from the museum's collection, leading to insights into past ecological conditions. The nests collected also help guide restoration projects by providing information about historical plant materials used in nest construction.

While collecting wild bird eggs is now regulated, the museum continues to expand its collection through lawful means such as donations and confiscations. Recently, it received notable additions from the son of a former alumnus and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bowie stated that the museum's work provides valuable knowledge for understanding changes in environment and ecology. The collection aids in studying shifts in egg size due to climate change and the effects of contaminants.