The varieties currently found in the United States include Pharaoh, Italian, Manchurian, Tibetan, Rosetta, along with the following mutations: sex-linked brown, fee, roux, silver, andalusian, blue/blau, white winged pied, progressive pied, albino, calico, sparkly, as well as non-color mutations such as celadon.

[2][3] The Japanese quail was formally described by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck and the German ornithologist Hermann Schlegel in 1848 and given the trinomial name Coturnix vulgaris japonica.

[4] This species is now placed in the genus Coturnix that was introduced in 1764 by the French naturalist François Alexandre Pierre de Garsault.

Most of the strains are sexually dimorphic, however, there are some that can not be distinguished on the basis of plumage colouration, these include Texas A&M, English white, tuxedo and others .

[11] However, weight among domesticated lines varies considerably, as commercial strains bred for meat production can weigh up to 300 grams.

Most of the calls used by this quail are present after five weeks of development; however, they remain relatively changeable until sexual maturity is reached.

[12] The typical crow of the Japanese quail is characterized by two short parts that precede a final, major trill.

[13][15][16] Though several resident populations of this quail have been shown to winter in Japan, most migrate south to areas such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and southern China.

[16] Breeding sites of the Japanese quail are largely localized to East and Central Asia,[13][15] in such areas as Manchuria, southeastern Siberia, northern Japan, and the Korean Peninsula.

[16] The Japanese quail is primarily a ground-living species that tends to stay within areas of dense vegetation in order to take cover and evade predation.

[1] Normally, the Japanese quail has been considered to possess an underdeveloped sense of taste, this being evidenced by their inability to distinguish different kinds of carbohydrates presented to them.

For example, they have been reported to be able to detect the presence of certain pesticides, as well as avoid food containing toxic proteins called lectin, using only the sense of smell.

As the dust falls back down to the ground around the bird, it will shake its body and ruffle its feathers to ensure they receive a thorough coating.

A study of domesticated specimens reveals that females tend to bond with one or two males, though extra-pair copulations are also frequently observed.

[23] The diet of the Japanese quail includes many different types of grass seed such as white millet and panicum.

[16] The Japanese quail mainly eats and drinks at the beginning and end of the day: behavior shown to closely follow the photoperiod.

After the war, the few quail left were used to rebuild the industry, and all current commercial and laboratory lines today are considered to have originated from this remnant population.

[15] As the Japanese quail is easily managed, fast growing, and small in size, and can produce eggs at a high rate, it has been farmed in large quantities across the globe.

[11][12] Japan, India, China, Italy, Russia, and the United States all have established commercial Japanese quail-farming industries.

Fields in which C. japonica is widely used include genetics, nutrition, physiology, pathology, embryology, cancer, behavior, and the toxicity of pesticides.

[22][23] Japanese quail eggs have orbited the Earth in several Soviet and Russian spacecraft, including the Bion 5 satellite and the Salyut 6 and Mir space stations.