Why do Quail Eggs have spots?
Quail eggs have spots to provide camouflage from predators. The eggs contain two pigments: blue-green biliverdin and red-brown protoporphyrin that provide the egg with their blotches. By breaking up the colour of the egg, the blotches allow the eggs to blend in to their surroundings and allow them to be more elusive to their nesting predators: racoons, opossum, snakes and skunks.
Interestingly, Quail mothers are aware of the number of splotches on their eggs and will place the eggs in terrain that best camouflages the eggs. An experiment was conducted on Japanese Quail that had 4 types of sand – Yellow, Red, White and Black. More than 50% of the time the quail mother would choose the best camouflaged coloured sand based on the egg that was laid. Proactively adapting their nesting location is a rare trait in the animal kingdom.