The study of the molecular regulation mechanism of melanin synthesis during animal development has become a new focus recently . The synthesis and production of melanin during animal development are regulated by many genes. This paper summarized the molecular function mechanism of melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) gene and the relationship between the consequences of polymorphic variation of the gene and melanin traits, in addition to summarized the identification and mutation of MC1R gene in birds. Furthermore, the melanin synthesis mechanism in birds is also discussed here.