Domesticated quail

A domesticated quail is a small fowl that lives in the wild and nests on the ground if there is no human interference. Thousands of years of breeding and domestication have made the quail into what it is now. Humans domesticated quail for the consumption of meat and egg production. Additionally, quail can be kept as a pet to provide company. Domesticated quails are commonly kept in long wire cages and are fed game-bird feed. Currently, the most common domesticated breed is the Coturnix quail (also known as the Japanese quail).

Types of breeds and Feather Coloring

There are 20 types of wild quail around the world and about 70 domestic quail breeds or strains, including laboratory and commercial quail. Due to their large size, Coturnix (Japanese) quails are kept for meat and egg consumption. It contains more meat and produces more eggs than the others. Button quails (also known as King Quail, Chinese-Painted Quail and Blue-Breasted quail) are rarely kept for the consumption of meat and egg because of the sizes of their bodies and the amount of eggs they produce. Rather, they are kept in large aviaries to clean the leftover seeds that fall to the floor. California, Gambel, Bobwhite, Scaled quails, etc. are less common and are rarely kept as pets.

Quail breeds

• Coturnix or Japanese quail
• Button, King, Chinese-Painted or Blue-Breasted quail
• (Northern) Bobwhite quail
• Gambel's quail
• Mearn's quail
• Mountain quail
• Scaled quail
• California (Valley) quail
• Manipur Bush quail
• Jungle Bush quail

Both Button and Coturnix quails have different feather coloring due to years of breeding. The common and wild Coturnix quail color is the Pharaoh breed, which is a brown feather color. The Button quail has a red breast, blue body, black and white head, and a brown back all in one (only present in males; females are a brown color all over). The Manipur Bush quail can be found mainly along the river Brahmaputra, in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and West Bengal.

Coturnix (Japanese) quail feather coloring^[1]

• Pharaoh - Rusty brown presented underbelly and an original brown color on the head and upper body.
• English White - White all over in both males and females.
• Manchurian Golden - Light rusty color all over with a pattern. Males have a darker rusty color presented on the head while females are lighter in color.
• Italian - Beige color with striated marking. Males are presented with brown faces.
• Tibetan (Dark British Range) - A dark chocolate color all over with a spot of white under the beaks.
• Rosetta (British Range) - A red-brown chocolate color all over.
• Silver - A light grey color all over.
• Tuxedo - A white and brown mix.
• Cinnamon (Red Range) - A light brown color all over.
• Scarlet (Red Golden) - A red-brown color all over.
• Roux - A lighter color of the Pharaoh (wild) version.
• Golden Tuxedo - White feathers all over with blonde feathers presented.

Other colors seen may be mutations.

Button quail feather coloring^[2]

• Wild (Common) Feather Color - Red breast, blue body, black and white face, and a brown back. Females are brown all over.
• Silver - Another common feather coloring. Both females and males are a light grey in color. Males are presented with a black and white face.
• White - A plain white color all over in both males and females.
• Red Breasted - Large color of red presented on the underbelly. Much alike the wild feather coloring.
• Blue Faced - Blue underbelly and dark brown back in males and a dark brown all over in females.
• Cinnamon - A light brown color.
• Golden Pearl - Females are a lighter brown.
• Tuxedo Pied - A white and brown color mix.

Other colors seen may be mutations.^{[3] [4]}

References

1. "Japanese Coturnix Quail Color Varieties!". Backyardchickens.com. 2011-09-01. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
2. "Button Quail Colors". Featheredobsessions.com. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
3. "Species". Thatquailplace.com. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
4. World's Poultry Science Journal / Volume 61 / Issue 01 / March 2005, pp 105-112