Quail egg markings may help scientists to analyze wild populations.
Quail are ground dwelling birds and six species are native to North America, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Audubon Society. Habitat loss threatens some species, like the eastern bobwhite. Tiny quail eggs are speckled in random patterns of dark on light background, which may reveal important data about nesting patterns and population health. Preserve favorite quail habitat in your yard -- grasses, shrubs, brushy cover, even annual weeds -- to encourage quail to nest. Does this Spark an idea?
General Characteristics
Quail eggs actually differ widely in color and patterns. Scientists studying the eggshells identified color differences from white to green and blue. All quail eggs have patterns of darker brown or reddish-brown areas on a light background. The colors and patterns of the eggs can reveal information about the parent bird and the nesting habitat.
Family Traits
A study of Japanese quail eggs by two researchers in Gaziosmanpasa University, Turkot, Turkey, measured the color of the eggs, with marked variables in hue, and the patterns on the eggs. Researchers discovered that the colors of the shells are heritable, meaning that eggs from the same clutch would exhibit similar, or very similar, color characteristics.
Repeat Patterns
The patterned areas on eggs collected from distinct quail hens showed a remarkable "repeatability." That means specific hens laid eggs with near identical patterns on each egg in the whole clutch. The shapes, percentage of pattern to background color, and the saturation or darkness of the patterns all can be used to identify which eggs belong to which hens.
Camouflage
Quail nests are hidden on the ground and are subject to easy predation. Camouflage becomes extremely important and researchers theorized that the available nesting material in a bird's habitat could influence the patterns on the eggshells. Ideally, those patterns make a nest full of eggs difficult to detect.
Mate Selection
Eggshells reveal important details about the nutrition and health of the hen for several small bird species, a factor that may apply to quails. In bird populations where the male shares nesting responsibilities, shell patterns clue male birds to the healthiest potential mates and survivability of the eggs. Future research into the identifying patterns on quail eggs could determine if this is true for quails as it is for Eastern Bluebirds, Blue Tits and other songbirds.
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