Ground-Nesting Japanese Quail Experts in Camouflage: Study

It appears that ground-nesting Japanese quail are experts in camouflage.

A new study has found that the eggs of the quail are not only camouflaged, but the birds also choose the best egg-laying spots that help them hide the eggs.

Female quail lay eggs in different patterns - some eggs are covered in dark spots, some have fewer spots and others have none at all. Researchers George Lovell from the Abertay University and Karen Spencer from the University of St. Andrews found that these variations in the appearance of the eggs are repeatable.

This led them to believe that the birds might be choosing a variety of places to lay the eggs based on the special characteristics of their eggs.

For their study, the researchers gave the quail birds a choice of four different backgrounds on which they could lay their eggs. They found that the birds chose to lay their eggs on background colors that matched with the spots on the eggs. Interestingly, the birds chose lighter surfaces that matched with the eggs with fewer spots. This helps them to lower the chances of the eggs being found and eaten by predators.

"Animals make choices based upon their knowledge of the environment and their own phenotype to maximize their ability to reproduce and survive," Lovell said in a statement. "In this specific case, birds know what their eggs look like and can make laying choices that will minimize predation."

The findings of the study appear in the journal Current Biology.