The quail is the smallest member of the poultry family. There are many wild species and breeds of quail around the world, such as the 'rain quail', 'California quail', 'mountain quail', 'Montezuma quail', 'harlequin quail' and 'rangila quail'.
Among these, no species other than the 'Japanese quail' and the 'bobwhite quail' has been domesticated, and no quail other than these two is raised commercially as poultry.
The Japanese quail is raised for both eggs and meat, while the bobwhite quail is kept mainly for meat.
Japanese quail varieties
There are several commercial breeds of Japanese quail and sub-varieties too, such as the 'Pharaoh', 'British Re', 'English White', 'Manchurian Golden', 'Tuxedo' and 'Fawn/Brown' quail. Below is a short description of the 'Pharaoh' and 'Fawn' varieties of Japanese quail, raised for eggs and meat.
Origin and distribution
Pharaoh: this variety of Japanese quail is the most popular in the world. It originated in Japan, China and several other Asian countries. Its egg-laying capacity has been increased through extensive research in Japan.
Fawn: its origin and distribution are the same as the Pharaoh's.
Source: Online Desk. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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