Japanese quail are the second most reared animal in the world poultry industry (meat and egg production), after chickens. Although suitable environments to improve productivity of domestic quail have been studied, not much is known about their biological characteristics, such as whether they are monogamous or polygamous, how females and males are involved in child rearing, and how they select partners. A better understanding of these issues will contribute to further improvement of quail productivity, and we are conducting behavioral and genetic research by actually raising and observing quail.
We also conduct population genetic and phylogeographic studies to understand how wild animals adapt to and live in their habitats, with focuses on wild animals.