>> View the Bobwhite Quail in action.

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The bobwhite is a small bird about 6 inches high and weighs about 6 ounces as an adult. The male bobwhite has a white line over its eye and down its neck, with a white bib. The female has a brownish yellow marking on its body.

The average life expectancy of a wild bobwhite is about one year, with few reaching two years of age.  Population sizes can fluctuate dramatically from year to year, depending on weather and habitat conditions.  As many as 75% of bobwhites die and are replaced annually by that year’s young.

Thirty or more years ago, bobwhites were one of the most hunted birds in the south; however, their populations have declined sharply.  A variety of reasons have been attributed to this decline, but the ones cited most frequently are changing land practices and habitat loss.  Unlike the past, today there are fewer small farms which traditionally provided a patchwork of habitat types within short distances.  Additionally, conversion of native grass pastures to exotic forage species, indiscriminate herbicide treatments, and other “clean” landscape practices have left fewer weeds and brushy fencerows where bobwhites thrive. 

Some wildlife enterprises release pen-raised bobwhites for training dogs or for “put and take” hunting operations.  For reasons unknown, these birds do not react like wild birds in hunting situations.  Additionally, pen raised birds have not been exposed to predators, and therefore many become prey.  Studies indicate pen-raised bobwhites do not survive long in the wild, though providing feeders and artificial shelters may help temporarily.