Description:
Throat tuft is a mutation in Japanese quail that causes them to grow feathers from the side of their throat (1). The mutation can cause one or two sets of feathers to grow, similar to the Tufted mutation in chickens, though the mutation is recessive. It is unknown whether the two feathered look could be selectively bred for or not.
Unlike in chickens, the mutation also isn't lethal in homozygous form, though it does cause minor structural changes to the face and head in homozygous form, the same way that the chicken Tufted mutation does (2). The head will be slightly wider from the mandibles curving outwards and being slightly longer. They also will have some differences to the bottom of the skull, and the bones that support the skull. (2) However, in normal Throat Tufted birds, it will not majorly affect the health of the bird. It also can cause ear openings, though it is not as common (1).
It is different from the Ear Tuft mutation in quail because the location of the tufts are focused more to the lower face and chin, compared to right next to the ear canal. When the Ear Tuft and Throat Tuft are bred together, they cause a wide array of issues, including large openings near the ear canal and bones protruding from the throat alongside the feathers (3).
The Throat Tuft mutation is not formally believed to be in public hands, though several breeders have reported finding birds with one or two feathers protruding from the face (5). Birds in the same line also tend to have feathers on the back of the head. (6) It appears that the feathers coming from the throat also display the similar patterns to the breast plumage. Whether this is the same mutation as the original Throat Tuft is unknown.
Breeding with Throat Tufts:
Throat Tufts x Throat Tufts = 100% Throat Tufts
Throat Tufts x Wildtype = 100% TT Carriers
Throat Tufts x TT Carriers = 50% Throat Tufts, 50% TT Carriers
TT Carriers x TT Carriers = 25% Throat Tufts, 50% TT Carriers, 25% Wildtype
TT Carriers x Wildtype = 50% TT Carriers, 50% Wildtype
References & Further Reading
M. Tsudzuki, N. Wakasugi, Throat Tuft: A Newly Discovered Morphological Mutation in Japanese Quail, Journal of Heredity, Volume 80, Issue 6, September 1989, Pages 433–441, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a110894
TSUDZUKI, MASAOKI, and NOBORU WAKASUGI. "Head skeletal abnormalities associated with the throat tuft mutation (hfdTt) in the Japanese quail." Poultry Science 69.8 (1990): 1236-1243.
TSUDZUKI, Masaoki, and Noboru WAKASUGI. "A Genetic Analysis on the Throat-tuft Character of Japanese Quail (Coturrnx coturnix japonica) based on the Head-skeleton Abnormality." Japanese poultry science 27.6 (1990): 393-397.
TSUDZUKI, Masaoki, and Noboru WAKASUGI. "External and lnternal Abnormalities Exhibited by the Crossbreds between the Ear-Tuft (hfd) and Throat-Tuft (hfdTt) Mutants of Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)." Japanese poultry science 28.3 (1991): 131-141.
Estrada, Alex. Facebook, Coturnix Quail Colors and Genetics group, November 17th 2024. "Post discussing quail genetics." Accessed August 2, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/groups/550750305134029/permalink/708846385991086/.
White, Kate. Facebook, Coturnix Quail Colors and Genetics group, March 31, 2020. "Post discussing quail genetics." Accessed August 2, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/groups/550750305134029/user/100025081121061.
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