Modern bird eggs are colored by just two pigments: biliverdin and protoporphyrin IX. Some birds mix and layer these (e.g. chickens) for a wider spectrum of shell colors. As far as I know, Japanese quail eggs come in five basic color types: blue on brown, blue on blue, brown on blue, brown on brown, and straight up blue (Sometimes with speckles).
The spots are always darker than the base "field" color, and sometimes appear almost black. The bloom is a white-ish, waxy coating that goes on after the color and makes some eggs look dull or frosted.
Every one of my sixteen hens lays a different pattern (the four Golden "sisters" are most similar, interestingly)
Any other egg colors ("purple" or fully brown, bare white, etc.) are down to a "malfunction" during the pigmenting process and are not distinct patterns on their own.
I'm not sure if egg pattern is heritable, but it would be an egg-cellent experiment to find out!
The spots are always darker than the base "field" color, and sometimes appear almost black. The bloom is a white-ish, waxy coating that goes on after the color and makes some eggs look dull or frosted.
Every one of my sixteen hens lays a different pattern (the four Golden "sisters" are most similar, interestingly)
Any other egg colors ("purple" or fully brown, bare white, etc.) are down to a "malfunction" during the pigmenting process and are not distinct patterns on their own.
I'm not sure if egg pattern is heritable, but it would be an egg-cellent experiment to find out!
