Color vision and color preference in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) with colorless oil droplets.

Abstract

The significance of the coloration of retinal oil droplets in the color vision of young quail (C. coturnix japonica) was studied. Colorless oil droplets were produced in chicks by dietary exclusion of carotenoids in their mothers. Carotenoid-free quail chicks were able to distinguish red, yellow, green and blue of constant intensity from white light of different intensities. This indicated that the colored oil droplets were not essential in the color vision of quail. Testing color preferences by offering the 4 primary colors in 6 paired combinations indicated that normal quail and quail with colorless oil droplets preferred green the most and red the least. Carotenoid-free quail were different from controls in preferring blue over yellow.