Scientists develop DNA test to curb illegal trade in wild quail

Time of India

16-06-2025

Patna: In a major breakthrough in wildlife forensics, a team of Indian scientists has developed a foolproof method for distinguishing between the Common Quail and the Japanese Quail, two bird species so similar that even trained ornithologists often struggle to tell them apart.
The joint study was carried out by Rana Pratap Singh of the Central University of South Bihar (CUSB), Gaya; K V H Sastry of the National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Bengaluru and Prateek Dey of the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore. Published in the prestigious scientific journal MDPI Birds, the study offers wildlife officials a powerful new tool to combat the illegal trade in wild Common Quail, frequently misrepresented as legally farmed Japanese Quail.
The research was supported by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.
The team developed a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique targeting a specific gene in the birds' DNA.
Explaining the technique, team leader Rana Pratap Singh said, "What makes our method particularly powerful is its simplicity and reliability. Wildlife officials with basic laboratory facilities can now definitively identify these species within hours, rather than relying on uncertain morphological characteristics."
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The method works by detecting a unique site in the COX1 gene of the Common Quail that is absent in the Japanese Quail. When the DNA is treated with a specific enzyme called BsaBI, it produces distinct fragments, generating different banding patterns for each species when visualised on a gel, Singh said.
The illegal trade of wild Common Quail has long been a problem in India. While Japanese Quail farming is legal, the hunting of wild Common Quail is prohibited.
The Indian govt had earlier banned Japanese Quail farming altogether due to the difficulty in distinguishing between the two species, before lifting the ban after further evaluation.
Research scholar Prateek Dey said distinguishing the Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) from the Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) has posed a long-standing challenge for wildlife conservation. "The uncanny similarity between these species facilitated illegal wildlife trade and hampered conservation efforts for years.
Our technique provides a practical solution that empowers wildlife managers to regulate the illegal trade effectively," he said.
This breakthrough could have major implications for quail conservation across Asia, Europe and Africa. Beyond its immediate use in law enforcement, the study highlights the broader value of molecular techniques in species conservation.
Another team member, Sastry, added that the team had initially attempted to use microsatellite markers for species identification but found the PCR-RFLP method to be far more reliable.