Description:
The cinnamon gene in coturnix quail results in a light brown or dun colored plumage (1). The gene is a partial expression of albino, causing the bird to have pink eyes on top of lighter pigment overall, though it doesn't affect the eumelanin or pheomelanin pigment production (2). It is different and less extreme then the imperfect albino gene seen in coturnix quail (2), and it is likely closer related to the sex-linked silver gene in chickens (1).
Cinnamon birds often have health issues associated with the eye color, though there are confirmed stable lines in the United States and abroad. This is not a lethal gene, but rather causes light sensitivity where the bird has physical aversion to bright lights. Infrared warming bulbs and indirect lighting are recommended for chicks through adulthood.
It is sex-linked and recessive, meaning that it is possible to breed a one-time hatch where the chicks are sexable at hatch. This is done by crossing cinnamon cocks over Pharaoh or other non-cinnamon hens. The female chicks will be cinnamon at hatch, while males will be cinnamon split. This cross isn't often used commercially due to the the slower growth and structure issues that were incorrectly reported with cinnamon (4). However, recent studies have shown none of these structural issues and in fact found that Cinnamon lines have increased growth when compared to Panda and other lines (3).
Breeding with Cinnamon:
Cinnamon x Cinnamon = 100% Cinnamon
Cinnamon male x Gold female = 100% Cinnamon females, 100% Cinnamon Split males
Gold Male x Cinnamon Female = 100% Gold female chicks, 100% Cinnamon Split male chicks (most often used for sex-linked breedings)
Cinnamon Split Male x Cinnamon Female = 50% Cinnamon female chicks, 50% Gold female chicks, 50% Cinnamon Split male chicks, 50% Cinnamon male chicks
Cinnamon Split male x Gold female = 50% Gold chicks, 50% Cinnamon chicks, regardless of sex
Note: it is impossible to have a Cinnamon Split female chick, as females can only have one Z chromosome, and the "pair" or the W chromosome is short, meaning it forces the recessive mutation to show even with only one copy. This is called Hemizygous. Refer to the genetics series if you would like to read more.
References & Further Reading
Ulrika Gunnarsson, Anders R Hellström, Michele Tixier-Boichard, Francis Minvielle, Bertrand Bed'hom, Shin'ichi Ito, Per Jensen, Annemieke Rattink, Addie Vereijken, Leif Andersson, Mutations in SLC45A2 Cause Plumage Color Variation in Chicken and Japanese Quail, Genetics, Volume 175, Issue 2, 1 February 2007, Pages 867–877, https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.106.063107
Minvielle, Francis, et al. "Plumage colour mutations and melanins in the feathers of the Japanese quail: a first comparison." Animal genetics 40.6 (2009): 971-974.
Lukanov, H., A. Genchev, and I. Dragolova. "Phenotypic characteristics of the GL sire line for production of autosexing Japanese quails." Trakia Journal of Sciences 1 (2018): 40-50.
Komarchev, Alexey. "Autosexing Japanese Quails (Coturnix Japonica)." International Scientific Conference Fundamental and Applied Scientific Research in the Development of Agriculture in the Far East. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021.
Homma, K.: Studies on perfect and imperfect albinism in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Nihon Chikusan Gakkaiho 39, 348–352 (1968). https://doi.org/10.2508/chikusan. 39.348
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