Japanese Quail

A species of Old World quail, Coturnix japonica, found in East Asia, once classed as a subspecies of the common quail and now recognized as its own species, which has played an active role in human life since around the 12th century. The earliest records of domesticated Japanese quail come from 12th-century Japan, though some evidence suggests domestication as early as the 11th century, when the birds were bred mainly as songbirds and used in song contests; breeders shifted toward egg production in the early 1900s, and the Second World War devastated the population, so every current commercial and laboratory line descends from the small remnant rebuilt after the war. The birds are easily managed, fast growing and small, capable of laying up to 300 eggs a year, and are farmed commercially across Japan, India, China, Italy, Russia and the United States for both meat and, especially, eggs. Japanese quail are also widely used in scientific research, in genetics, nutrition, physiology, pathology, embryology, cancer studies, behavior studies and pesticide toxicity testing.