Effects of Personality Traits on the Food-Scratching Behaviour and Food Intake of Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)

Overall foraging success and ultimate fitness of an individual animal is highly dependent on their food-searching strategies, which are the focus of foraging theory. Considering the consistent inter-individual behavioural differences, personality may have a fundamental impact on animal food-scratching behaviour, which remains largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate how personality traits (i.e., boldness and exploration) affect the food-scratching behaviour and food intake of the domestic Japanese quail Coturnix japonica during the foraging process. The quails exhibited significant repeatability in boldness and exploration, which also constituted a behavioural syndrome. More proactive, that is, bolder and more explorative, individuals scratched the ground more frequently for food and began scratching earlier in a patch. Individuals that scratched more frequently had a longer foraging time and a higher food intake. The correlation between personality traits and temporary food intake during every 2 min varied over time and was sex dependent, with females exhibiting a positive correlation during the first half of the foraging stage and males after the initial stage. These findings suggest that personality traits affect the food-scratching behaviour and, thus, the food intake of quails. Our study provides insights into the impact of personality traits on animal’s foraging behaviour by influencing their food-searching strategies.

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DNA methylation-modifiers reduced food intake in juvenile chickens (Gallus gallus) and Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Neuroscience Letters ◽

10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136230 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 136230

Author(s):

Chang Cao ◽

Elizabeth R. Gilbert ◽

Mark A. Cline

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Food Intake ◽

Japanese Quail ◽

Gallus Gallus ◽

Coturnix Japonica

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A comparison of methods for the long-term harness-based attachment of radio-transmitters to juvenile Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Animal Biotelemetry ◽

10.1186/s40317-021-00257-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Evan J. Buck ◽

Jeffery D. Sullivan ◽

Cody M. Kent ◽

Jennifer M. Mullinax ◽

Diann J. Prosser

Keyword(s):

Japanese Quail ◽

Coturnix Japonica ◽

Individual Species ◽

Small Scale ◽

Waterbird Species ◽

Starting Point ◽

Radio Transmitters ◽

Elastic Cord ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background While the period from fledging through first breeding for waterbird species such as terns (e.g., genus Sterna, Sternula) is of great interest to researchers and conservationists, this period remains understudied due in large part to the difficulty of marking growing juveniles with radio transmitters that remain attached for extended periods. Methods In an effort to facilitate such research, we examined the impact of various combinations of harness types (backpack, leg-loop, and 3D-printed harnesses), harness materials (Automotive ribbon, Elastic cord, and PFTE ribbon), and transmitter types (center-weighted and rear-weighted) on a surrogate for juvenile terns, 28-day-old Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica; selected due to similarities in adult mass and downy feathering of juveniles), in a 30-day experiment. We monitored for abrasion at points of contact and tag gap issues via daily exams while also recording mass and wing cord as indices of growth. This study was designed to serve as an initial examination of the impacts of marking on the growth and development of young birds and does not account for any impacts of tags on movement or behavior. Results While we found that treatment (the specific combination of the transmitter type, harness type, and harness material) had no impact on bird growth relative to unmarked control birds (P ≥ 0.05), we did observe differences in abrasion and tag gap between treatments (P ≤ 0.05). Our results suggest that leg-loop harnesses constructed from elastic cord and backpack harnesses from PFTE ribbon are suitable options for long-term attachment to growing juveniles. Conversely, we found that automotive ribbon led to extensive abrasion with these small-bodied birds, and that elastic cord induced blisters when used to make a backpack harness. Conclusions While these results indicate that long-term tagging of juvenile birds is possible with limited impacts on growth, this work does not preclude the need for small-scale studies with individual species. Instead, we hope this provides an informed starting point for further exploration of this topic.

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Prolactin-releasing peptide increases food intake and affects hypothalamic physiology in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Domestic Animal Endocrinology ◽

10.1016/j.domaniend.2020.106464 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 72 ◽

pp. 106464

Author(s):

B.R. McConn ◽

T. Tachibana ◽

E.R. Gilbert ◽

M.A. Cline

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Japanese Quail ◽

Coturnix Japonica ◽

Prolactin Releasing Peptide

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Response of lipogenic enzymes to intensity and duration of overfeeding in the adult Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1079/bjn19780038 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 289-295 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Niva Shapira ◽

I. Nir ◽

P. BUDOWSKI

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Japanese Quail ◽

Control Level ◽

Fatty Acid Synthetase ◽

Coturnix Japonica ◽

Coturnix Coturnix Japonica ◽

Lipogenic Enzymes ◽

Coturnix Coturnix ◽

Daily Amount ◽

Specific Activities

1. Adult male Japanese quail (Coturnix Coturnix Japonica) were overfed at different intensities during varying periods: (1) by gradually increasing the daily amount of food up to twice the control level in a period of 11 d and keeping this level constant during the subsequent 12 d period (prolonged overfeeding); (2) by gradually increasing the daily amount of food up to approximately twice the control level in a period of 6 d (short, low-intensity overfeeding; SL); (3) by gradually increasing the daily amount of food up to approximately 2.5-fold the control level in a period of 7 d (short, high-intensity overfeeding; SH).2. The activities of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.2; CBX), fatty acid synthetase (FAS), ATP citrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.8; CCE) and malate dehydrogenase (decarboxylating) (NADP) (EC 1.1.1.40; ME) were determined in adipose tissue (AT) and liver of the overfed and ad lib.- fed chicks. Size and fat content of carcass, AT and liver were also determined in order to evaluate the extent of obesity.3. The weight of carcass, lean body mass, liver and AT and the extent of fat deposition increased with the total amount of food consumed. Obesity was particularly pronounced in quail after prolonged overfeeding.4. Lipogenic enzymes in liver were much more active than those of AT. The specific activities of CBX, FAS and CCE in liver and AT in overfed Japanese quail increased consistently in the SL and SH groups only and the increase was related to the level of food intake in these groups. ME was the only enzyme whose specific activity increased in all overfed groups. Total AT enzyme activities were increased most strongly after prolonged overfeeding because of the pronounced tissue enlargement in that treatment. But in liver, where tissue enlargement was less and differences in size due to the three overfeeding treatments were less marked, total activities depended mainly on the enhancement of specific activities.5. The results lead to the conclusion that the increase in hepatic lipogenic enzymes roughly reflects the current food intake and may thus be considered to represent the primary adaptation in the overfed Japanese quail. Secondary adaptation, involving tissue enlargement, occurs principally in AT of Japanese quail after prolonged overfeeding, in which situation AT contributes significantly to total lipogenic activity.

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Catch-up growth in Japanese quail (Coturnix Japonica): relationships with food intake, metabolic rate and sex

Journal of Comparative Physiology B ◽

10.1007/s00360-013-0751-6 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 183 (6) ◽

pp. 821-831 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Eunice H. Chin ◽

Andrea L. Storm-Suke ◽

Ryan J. Kelly ◽

Gary Burness

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Metabolic Rate ◽

Japanese Quail ◽

Coturnix Japonica ◽

Catch Up

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A low dose of an organophosphate insecticide causes dysbiosis and sex-dependent responses in the intestinal microbiota of the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.2002 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. e2002 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Eduardo Crisol-Martínez ◽

Laura T. Moreno-Moyano ◽

Ngare Wilkinson ◽

Tanka Prasai ◽

Philip H. Brown ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Intestine ◽

Japanese Quail ◽

Coturnix Japonica ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Organophosphate Insecticide ◽

Organophosphate Insecticides ◽

Insecticide Exposure ◽

Avian Populations ◽

The Impact ◽

Caecal Microbiota

Organophosphate insecticides have been directly or indirectly implicated in avian populations declining worldwide. Birds in agricultural environments are commonly exposed to these insecticides, mainly through ingestion of invertebrates after insecticide application. Despite insecticide exposure in birds occurring mostly by ingestion, the impact of organophosphates on the avian digestive system has been poorly researched. In this work we used the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) as an avian model to study short-term microbial community responses to a single dose of trichlorfon at low concentration in three sample origins of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT): caecum, large intestine and faeces. Using next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons as bacterial markers, the study showed that ingestion of insecticide caused significant changes in the GIT microbiome. Specifically, microbiota composition and diversity differed between treated and untreated quail. Insecticide-associated responses in the caecum showed differences between sexes which did not occur with the other sample types. In caecal microbiota, only treated females showed significant shifts in a number of genera within the Lachnospiraceae and the Enterobacteriaceae families. The major responses in the large intestine were a significant reduction in the genusLactobacillusand increases in abundance of a number of Proteobacteria genera. All microbial shifts in faeces occurred in phylotypes that were represented at low relative abundances. In general, changes in microbiota possibly resulted from contrasting responses towards the insecticide, either positive (e.g., biodegrading bacteria) or negative (e.g., insecticide-susceptible bacteria). This study demonstrates the significant impact that organophosphate insecticides have on the avian gut microbiota; showing that a single small dose of trichlorfon caused dysbiosis in the GIT of the Japanese quail. Further research is necessary to understand the implications on birds’ health, especially in females.

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