Developmental stages of Coturnix coturnix japonica, the Japanese quail

Abstract

Coturnix coturnix japonica (Japanese Quail) is an avian species that has been extensively used in developmental studies for many years. Unlike the domestic chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus, the development of the quail has not been accurately staged, despite being used as an important developmental tool. The chick was accurately staged over 50 years ago in a seminal paper by Hamburger and Hamilton and although there have been several papers looking at developmental stages of the quail, the process has not been comprehensive or definitive and therefore researchers have often used the chick staging criteria. One of the most obvious and dramatic differences between quail and chick is hatching times, with the quail hatching some 4‐5 days before the chick. This more rapid developmental cycle means that the use of the Hamburger and Hamilton stage series for all quail developmental studies may not be advantageous. Therefore, we have constructed a comprehensive stage series of quail embryo development, which covers the whole incubation period. It is hoped that such a series will provide researchers with an accessible manual, when using the quail model. Funded by Brighton & Sussex Medical School.