Northern Bobwhite Quail - Quail Hunting - Upland Hunting
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Description
The bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) which received its name from a distinct, whistled bobwhite call is a small, but plump bird that measures 8-11 inches in length and weighs around 6-7 ounces (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1998). Like most upland game birds, the bobwhite contains a short but stout beak along with powerful feet and claws. These features adapt the quail for finding and eating the seeds and fruits, which make up a good portion of its diet (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1998).
The body feathers of the bobwhite are reddish-brown in color that are mottled with black and white spots with a tail that is gray (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1998). In male bobwhites, the throat is white and a white stripe extends from the bill over the eye to the base of the neck. The region below the eye stripe is colored black and expands under the throat to form a black collar. Female quail lack this black collar and their throats and eye stripes are buff, rather than white (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1998). The bobwhites mottled coloring serves a protective purpose. When the bird is threatened or alarmed, it often freezes, allowing its camouflage coloring to blend into its surroundings.
Habitat
Northern bobwhites can be found year-round in agricultural fields, grassland, open woodland areas, roadsides and wood edges.. Their range covers the southeastern quadrant of the United States from the Great Lakes and southern Minnesota east to Pennsylvania and southern Massachusetts, and extending west to southern Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and all but westernmost Texas. These birds are absent from the southern tip of Florida and the highest elevations of the Appalachian Mountains, but are found in eastern Mexico and in Cuba. Isolated populations of these game birds have been introduced in Oregon and Washington.