Progressive Pied

Progressive Pied is an understudied mutation in coturnix quail that presents similar to the mottling gene in chickens in that it causes white feathers that will progressively get more white as the bird ages.

It is different from the Progressive Pied often seen in peafowl (2), as it is not lethal. It is believed to be the same genes as the German quail "Getupft" mutation (5). It is unknown whether this is the same "marbling" mutation referenced in several genetics articles, originally studied by the Soviets during the Cold War (7), however the inheritance of marbled (autosomal recessive) was referenced from this study and the locus was suggested to be "ma" (8). There also have been talk of "Bunino Splash" or "Bunino Pied", which is likely present in Europe. It is said to be similar to progressive pied, and will have the same mottled white and colored pattern as a complete adult progressive pied, however unlike progressive pied, this white doesn't change or increase with age. (9) It is unknown how prevalent this Bunino Splash or marbling gene is, or if either are actually separate mutation from progressive pied or just selectively bred lines of the same gene.

In recent breeder's groups, progressive pied has been suggested to be autosomal incomplete dominant (10), at least the phenotype found in Germany and in certain lines within the US. It is currently believed that in homozygous form (two copies of the gene), the bird will be almost entirely white, with less then half of the feathers an original color. The typical pattern seen and shown above is heterozygous for the progressive pied gene (10).

Birds will start out with minimal white feathering as chicks, and then with each molt, the amount of white feathers will progressively increase. The white will typically start around the head and neck area, and then progress to the entire body. (4). It is worth noting that birds (especially dark colored birds) will naturally increase the amount of white in the feather as they age past maturity, similar to how humans grey in the hair (5), but progressive pied is a complete mutation and considerably more white. Chicks after their first molt should have visible white feathers (4).

Quail with progressive pied will typically end up with over half of their feathers white, and German recommendations include breeding for a bird to have equal amounts of color and white, stating to select against extremely white young birds (4).

It is unknown how prevalent progressive is. It has been suggested that progressive pied was in the lines of Andalusian (11). How much of the white feathering in Andalusian is actually progressive pied and how much is just the natural white found in silver and andalusian isn't known. True progressive pied across multiple base patterns is currently in public hands in both the US and in Germany (12)(4), but how common it is also isn't well studied.

More research needs to be done overall from a scientific standpoint to confirm the inheritance, locus, and other potential offshoots of this pied.

Breeding with Progressive Pied: For more information about breeding with this kind of gene, including tips and tricks and a full explanation of how these results were calculated, please see here.