Influence of experience and visual stimulation in Japanese quail laying site selection under experimental condition

We raised female Japanese quail until their post juvenile moult in "neutral" or simplified environments chosen according to features representative of natural habitats. At laying, we placed female quail individually in a choice situation with regard to environmental patterns. 9fiey took account of the visual factors of. their environment in selecting laying site. We found that female Japanese quail preferred a structured achromatic environment over a uniform achromatic environment. They showed a preference for vertical grey stripes over horizontal stripes and a clear preference for green over ochre. Green vertical and horizontal striping proved highly attractive but there was no preference for one or another. Juvenile experience does not affect laying site selection but it certainly does emphasize preference for green. Individual choice proved to be stable but, on the contrary, we found strong interin dividual variability within each one of the groups. The results taken as a whole are relevant to the choices faced by female quails seeking nest sites in their natural habitat.