Bobwhites live in old fields and forests in specific types of habitat that change depending on the season.  A covey may require anywhere from 20 to 160 acres or more to meet its needs, depending on habitat quality.  The textbook definition of optimal bobwhite habitat is 50% open woodland and 50% fields in various stages of plant succession.  Woodland habitats provide primarily thermal and escape cover, while fields provide nesting and brooding cover.  Generally, bobwhites will not move more than 100 feet from the nearest escape cover.  Small fields that have travel lanes containing undisturbed strips of thick vegetation and brush are ideal habitat for bobwhites.  Click here to learn about beneficial habitat practices.

What is “quality habitat” for bobwhites?  In his book “Beef, Brush, and Bobwhites – Quail Management in Cattle Country,” Dr. Fred Guthery describes quality habitat in this manner:

Imagine you’re 6 inches tall, weigh 6 ounces, and would rather walk than fly.  Your view of the world would change.  A knee-high shrub would become a small tree, a dense stand of bluestem would become an impassible jungle, a 1-mile jog would telescope into a half marathon. 

You’re beginning to see through the eyes of a bobwhite.  These are delicate, immobile birds that require a variety of habitats.  They’re largely concerned with living space from ground level to a height of about 3 feet on areas no larger than 20 city blocks.  Therefore, managers must create crazy-quilt patterns of cover on small areas; “patches” in the quilt must fulfill seasonal and annual cover needs.

There are several critical periods in a bobwhite’s life history [link to life history section] in which good quality habitat can reduce mortality and improve population growth.  These stress periods are (1) cover availability during nesting and brooding, and (2) food availability before spring green-up.  Click here for a list of plant species that bobwhites use for food or cover.  [link to table above]  In addition, the availability of seeds can be critical.  The benefits of habitat improvements are lost if seeds are hidden in the leaf litter or cling to tall stalks where bobwhites cannot reach them.

One of the most critical habitat needs for bobwhites is suitable nesting and brood cover.  Bobwhites prefer nesting where there is knee-high cover of grasses and broadleaf weeds near an edge, with bare ground or open spaces to move around, from the bird’s eye level.  Grasses that form clumps at their base with upright stems, such as native warm season grasses, provide bobwhites with bare areas for movement at ground level while protection from aerial predators above, in a structure similar to an umbrella.  However, these grasses tend to be of limited food value, so other seeding plants need to be available.  The vegetation surrounding the nest must be open, so bobwhites can enter and leave with easy access.  Optimal areas have native grasses with nearby thickets or woody vegetation.  Thick-sodded grasses have been attributed to declining numbers of bobwhites, which prevent quick movement and provide no overhead protection for bobwhites. 

Once the chicks have hatched, optimal brood cover and food sources are essential for chicks to survive.  Fallow fields that grow a mix of legumes and forbs along with bare ground are ideal, such as those with beggarlice, ragweed, partridge pea, and other annual weeds.  This mix also attracts insects which provide a rich source of protein for the developing chicks.  Avoid using insecticides which will not only reduce the availability of insects, but may also cause birds to die or become sick, making them more vulnerable to predation.