Tiny, cute and impetuous, quails are much more than just delicious - they are also used to test the safety of agrochemicals in the environment. They eat many kinds of seeds and are used in palatability studies, which show the likelihood of, for example, a new pesticide, being eaten by birds. These birds also eat a variety of worms and insect larvae, and may be used to study the potential effects of a chemical substance on the food chain. The quails relatively short lifespan and physiological similarities to humans make it useful in the study of ageing and disease while its 16-day developmental period and easily accessible embryo make it a suitable model for developmental biology. Their eggs can be grown in large batches in incubators, and allow the effects of particular substances on embryonic development to be studied. They are important models for reproductive studies that look at the effects of chemicals on the environment.