White Crescent

The White Crescent gene in Coturnix quail is described to be an autosomal recessive mutation that causes the bird to have a thin white band of feathers across the breast (1). It is linked to the EB mutation, meaning that it affects primarily birds with a Tibetan or Rosetta base, though it is not on the same locus and is believed to be found on other dark birds.

It was discovered in Canada in the late 1970s among a line of tuxedo EB (1), and was separated from other forms of white, most notably the dotted white and the white beard, though mentioned only briefly in the study. It is unknown if it currently exists in public hands, but could be a contributing factor for the "banded" look seen in some lines of black and EB in the United States, and overall white leakage in quail found across the world. It is believed that with proper selection, this amount of white can be controlled and bred to be fairly consistent.

The gene symbol is wcr, and it is unknown what locus it is on. It is possible that this is just a natural expression of Extended Brown and other dominant E locus genes and is not a separate mutation entirely. More testing needs to be done to confirm this.

Breeding with White Crescent:

White Crescent x White Crescent = 100% White Crescent

(wcr/wcr x wcr/wcr = 100% wcr/wcr)

White Crescent x No White = 100% WC Carriers

(wcr/wcr x wcr+/wcr+ = 100% wcr/wcr+)

White Crescent x WC Carriers = 50% White Crescent, 50% WC Carriers

(wcr/wcr x wcr/wcr+ = 50% wcr/wcr, 50% wcr/wcr+)

WC Carriers x WC Carriers = 25% White Crescent, 50% WC Carriers, 25% No White

(wcr/wcr+ x wcr/wcr+ = 25% wcr/wcr, 50% wcr/wcr+, 25% wcr+/wcr+)

WC Carriers x Wildtype = 50% WC Carriers, 50% Wildtype

(wcr/wcr+ x wcr+/wcr+ = 50% wcr/wcr+, 50% wcr+/wcr+)