Necropsy In A Box

Background Information

Northern Bobwhite Quail FactsColinus virginianus

The bobwhite quail is a relatively small bird that is about 10 inches long. It has a mixed plumage of brown, black, white and buff making it almost invisible against the vegetation of weedy fields and edges of the woodlands.

Bobwhite quail reside in pastures, abandoned fields, crop fields, grasslands, brushy areas along forest edges and shrubby meadows.

Bunch grasses or cactus (prickly pear)

In order to raise chicks

Bobwhite quail search for food in the early portion of the morning and then again in the hours before nightfall. Bobwhites feed on insects and weed seeds. The juvenile quail’s menu is 85 percent bugs while the adults’ diet is comprised of about 70 percent seeds and 30 percent insects on a year-round basis. Seeds of many plants such as ragweed and foxtail are edible and the bobwhite is highly dependent on these seeds during the fall and winter months.

During much of the year they travel in small groups known as coveys, sleeping at night in a compact circle, tails to the center. This roosting technique allows the covey to conserve heat and be ready to fly in all directions if approached by a predator. Hawks, skunks, foxes, raccoons, owls, snakes, coyotes, bobcats, domestic dogs & cats, and hunters are predators of quail.

In the spring, May through September, the male selects a territory in which to nest and the female is responsible for the nest building. The female will build a nest on the ground in which she lays 6-18 eggs per clutch. Incubation lasts 23-24 days. The chicks follow their parents upon hatching and fledge in 6-7 days. They can fly short distances at 10 to 14 days. Chicks survival is low – probably no more than 30 percent survive their first year.

The major factors leading to the decreasing numbers of bobwhite quail:

1. habitat loss2. intensive agricultural practices3. harsh weather events

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