Japanese Quail

Fun Facts

Known for making nearly 30 different sounds, Japanese quail were once bred to compete in singing contests. Today, people raise them mainly for their eggs. One quail may lay 300 per year.

These birds have traveled to space! In 1990, eggs hatched aboard a Russian space station—the first birds born off planet earth.

Japanese quail come in a stunning variety of colors and patterns, including white, silver, gold, amber, charcoal, blue, red, calico, tuxedo, and pied.

To boost wild quail populations for hunting, Japanese quail are crossbred with the declining common quail, and the hybrids are released into the wild.

Japanese quail take dust baths by rolling on the ground to clean their feathers and remove parasites.