Bobwhites are relatively small ground dwelling gallinaceous (chicken-like) birds. Adults stand six to seven inches (24-27 cm) in height and typically weigh about six to seven ounces. The male's upper parts are reddish-brown, while the belly is pale and streaked. There is a white stripe above the eye and white patch framed in black on the throat. These patches are caramel-colored on the females. The bobwhites usually travel in coveys (flocks of two or more families).

Distribution

The northern bobwhite, or bobwhite quail, is the most widespread of the 6 quail species in this country. The range of its 5 subspecies covers the southeastern and mid-western United States The Northern Bobwhite is most commonly found in its range in the eastern and central U.S.

Behavior

During the early fall, bobwhite adults and broods form into social groupings (coveys), with an average covey size of 12 birds. Coveys roost or spend the night on the ground, in a circle with their heads pointed outward, which allows them to conserve heat and more easily escape nocturnal predators. As mortality occurs throughout the winter and covey size decreases, the remaining birds often join with other coveys for the remainder of the winter. Quail remain in coveys until the "spring breakup" at which time they disperse to begin the mating season. Males then begin to make the familiar "bob-bob-white" call to attract hens for breeding.

Bobwhites are what ecologists refer to as an r-selected species, which means they are subject to high annual mortality rates but are able to offset this mortality with high reproductive rates. Nesting loss is fairly high at 60-70%. Females will re-nest until successful or until it becomes too late in the season. With persistent nesting, 75% of females will produce young. Chick mortality is about 30%. Most deaths occur within the first two weeks of life, when the young are most vulnerable to weather. The life expectancy of the bobwhite quail is less than one year.

Diet

Northern Bobwhite use numerous kinds of seeds, grains, green vegetation (mostly forbs), berries, and insects for food; as many as 1,000 different plants may be included in their diet. Young quail eat predominantly insects. To maximize quail populations knowing which seeds provide the most energy to quail is of utmost importance. Raising or encouraging those plants for winter food supply which provide a low calorie food source is not only wasteful but can actually be detrimental to the quail. Quail food habits are largely a matter of availability as they are selectivity. Therefore if a low quality seed is in abundance the birds will use it. On poor feed quail will not be as fat and not be able to withstand severe winter weather, hens will enter the breeding season in poorer condition, lay fewer eggs and experience more physiological stress.

Habitat

Wildlife biologists classify bobwhites as a grassland-forb-shrub habitat dependent species. In the Southeast, this type of habitat is often referred to as 'early succession'. To prosper, bobwhites need large expanses of clumped native warm season grasses mixed with annual weeds, legumes, briars and other woody thickets that are thick above but open underneath. The bobwhite prefers areas where half the ground is exposed and the remainder contains upright growth of herbaceous and woody vegetation. Specific requirements change with the seasons. In spring and summer, the bobwhite needs grassland, drainage ditches and roadside and pond edges for nesting, feeding and roosting cover. In summer and fall, it requires cropland for feeding, loafing, dusting and roosting. It depends on dense, brushy areas for food during fall and winter and for escape and roosting cover year round.