The Quail Research Laboratory
America’s Greatest Gamebirds
The Quail Research Lab is dedicated to finding solutions that result in sustainable quail populations. Our research takes place on partnering ranches, public lands and in our state-of-the-art laboratory on the A&M-Commerce campus.
Discover The QuAil Research Laboratory
The Quail Research Laboratory at A&M-Commerce is an internationally recognized hub for quail research. Established in 2013 by founding director Dr. Kelly Reyna, the lab's mission is to discover solutions for sustainable quail populations through innovative research, education and collaboration.
Our focus is on quail population sustainability. What makes us unique is our comprehensive research spanning life stages from embryo to adult, our state-of-the-art laboratory where we can recreate environmental conditions and develop solutions for quail in the wild, and our population level research that occurs on our research stations across the country.
With the success of our research we are now building a new Super Quail facility as phase 1 on the Lyon Center for Gamebird Research.
Our Research
Our major research includes investigations into:
Since 50-80% of quail adults die each year, and a quail's lifespan is ~6 months, quail populations hinge on sustained quail chick production. Yet, that is the main cause of quail population decline in drought years. Accordingly, The Quail Research Laboratory is able to recreate field conditions in the lab to develop solutions for chick production in adverse conditions. We also develop the normal stages of development for various quail species and look at environmental pollutants and medicated feed on quail chick production and development.
Gamebird and quail populations are declining across the globe. Developing solutions for population sustainability is key to reversing these trends. The Quail Research Laboratory is unique in that our smallest research stations spans more than 500,000 acres. We image large-scale populations through innovative monitoring and provide results that explain observed mysteries of “where did all the quail go?” We have research stations in Montana, Kansas, California and Texas with comprehensive research into the impacts of climate, weather, management and other factors on a suite of upland gamebirds and waterfowl.
As gamebirds across the globe continue to decline, population restoration is at the forefront of conservation action. Once habitat is restored, gamebird restoration becomes a prominent focus. However, historic releases of captive-reared quail have been unsuccessful and translocation are typically cost prohibitive to make a positive impact on a population level. Accordingly, The Quail Research Laboratory is leading the charge to develop an affordable and effective solution to gamebird restoration. Our Super Quail project is promising and a new Super Quail production facility will begin production in early 2024. We suspect we are on the brink of large-scale population restoration
The Super Quail Project works to produce an affordable gamebird with wild-type survivability and a more stringent thermal tolerance so that they are prolific in challenging environments. We've made great progress in this arena and are building a Super Quail Production facility that will begin construction in 2024.
Our Facility
The Lyon Center for Gamebird Research
With the success of our research we are now building a new gamebird research and education facility thanks to a generous donation by Ted and Donna Lyon in 2023, with construction starting on phase 1 in 2024.
You Can Help!
We thank you for your dedication to America’s greatest gamebirds. To support our quail research and establish a lasting legacy, please visit our Giving Page. Every gift counts!
For all questions and comments, contact Dr. Kelly Reyna.
Faculty and Student Researchers
Kelly Reyna, Ph.D.
Jeffrey Whitt, Ph.D.
Aujarai Ivy
Tina Reichner
Brooke Clifton
Laritza Tinajero
Grace James
Lexxi Godwin
Join Our Team
The Quail Research Laboratory is actively seeking highly motivated individuals that desire to work with quail. If you are interested in undergraduate, graduate or postdoctoral research, contact Dr. Kelly Reyna [email protected].
Featured News
TAMUC's ‘Quail Professor' Discusses Sustainable Quail on Upland Nation Podcast
Dr. Kelly Reyna, associate professor and director of the Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research at Texas A&M University-Commerce, is featured on a recent episode of the Upland Nation podcast. In the episode, Reyna and host Scott Linden discuss the innovative gamebird research happening at A&M-Commerce, “untaming” pen-raised birds, how wild birds detect […]
TAMUC Professor Discusses University's Quail Repopulation Efforts in Article
A&M-Commerce associate professor Dr. Kelly Reyna is featured in an article by the Tyler (TX) Morning Telegraph, where he discusses the critical issue of declining quail populations in Texas and across the country. The Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research at Texas A&M University-Commerce is set to tackle this problem with a planned […]
Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research Planned for Texas A&M University-Commerce
Texas A&M University-Commerce will soon be home to an innovative gamebird research and education facility, thanks to a historic gift from alumnus Ted B. Lyon and his wife, Donna. Construction of the Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research at Texas A&M University-Commerce will begin in 2024. In December 2022, the Lyons gifted $1 […]
TAMUC Leads Quail Research and Collaborative Restoration Efforts
A&M-Commerce Associate Professor Kelly Reyna presented at the Texas House Sportsman’s Caucus in Austin on March 20 about the state’s declining quail population and the university’s ambitious Texas Quail Restoration Plan. Reyna and university representatives—including President Mark Rudin, College of Business Interim Dean Scott Wheeler and Vice President for Philanthropy and Engagement Devin Girod—also attended […]
A&M-Commerce Researchers Publish Groundbreaking Record of Quail Chick Development
A quail research team at Texas A&M University-Commerce has published the first record of California valley quail chick development. Their research, published in the journal PLOS ONE, will accelerate new opportunities for quail management and conservation. Kelly Reyna, Ph.D., is the team’s principal investigator and director of The Quail Research Laboratory at A&M-Commerce. “Prior to […]
TAMUC Looking to Revolutionize Gamebird Research at New Ag Facility
Texas A&M University-Commerce is poised to become a national leader in gamebird research with the future completion of the proposed agricultural education complex. Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp expressed optimism for the potential of the complex’s facilities that will be dedicated to quail research. “More birds, of course, is great news for hunters […]
A&M-Commerce Experiencing Success with Vital Quail Translocation Effort
With Texas’ native Bobwhite Quail population down for another quail season, the path to a more sustainable quail population in Texas is underway thanks to efforts by The Quail Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University-Commerce. The final report for the lab’s Valley Quail translocation project was released earlier this fall. In it, the researchers, led […]
A&M-Commerce “Quail Professor” Says Temps Could Decimate Texas Quail Populations
Texas’ favorite game bird, the Bobwhite Quail, is in steep decline and a new research study finds that as little as four days of high Texas heat could crash Texas quail populations. It is widely known that if it rains in Texas during the spring, quail populations increase. In hot drought years, quail populations drastically […]
A&M-Commerce Professor Coordinates California Quail Translocation from Idaho to Northeast Texas
Assistant Professor and Director of Wildlife and Sustainable Agriculture Dr. Kelly Reyna is well-versed on quail, having studied the species for more than 20 years. In March, Reyna and his team successfully coordinated a translocation of 250 wild California Quail from Idaho to Texas in an effort to repopulate the area as quail native to […]
A&M-Commerce Office of Sponsored Programs Hosts Leo Talks
The Office of Sponsored Programs at A&M-Commerce is hosting Leo Talks during Spring 2019. The lectures are “TED-like” talks that last about 20 minutes and feature presentations from two A&M-Commerce professors per event. “The goal of the series is to bring our faculty, staff, students and community together to share ideas and to get to […]
