Plains & Piedmont & Plains Southeastern Coastal Southeastern

Go to www.bringbackbobwhites.org to find out more about various publications and videos regarding bobwhites.

• The average number of eggs in a bobwhite nest is 12-15. The National Bobwhite Technical Committee (NBTC) • The normal incubation for bobwhites is 23 days. completed in March 2002 the Northern Bobwhite • A newly-hatched bobwhite chick is about the size of a bumblebee. Conservation Initiative (NBCI), later changed to • Mid-June to mid-July is typically the peak hatching time for National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative. The Initiative the ground-nesting bobwhite. was the first-ever landscape-scale habitat restoration • Bobwhite chicks can fly when three weeks old. and population recovery plan for bobwhite quail • Over 80% of the annual quail population fails to carry over to (Colinus virginianus) in the U.S. NBCI was developed the next year. in recognition of (1) the continuing serious decline of • Bobwhites require from 47-55 days to complete their nesting bobwhite populations across most of the speciesʼ cycle. range, and (2) the necessity for large-scale coordinated, • It takes a bobwhite chick at least 120-140 days to develop to adult size. action at the regional level. • Bare ground and shrubby, brushy cover is an essential part A revision of the 2002 NBCI was completed in of quail habitat. 2011 • Like rabbits, bobwhites are an “early successional” species. and can be reviewed at That means you'll find them in places that are not densely www.bringbackbobwhites.org overgrown and that have had recent ground disturbance with annual plants (ragweed). • You donʼt have to plant native warm season grasses to have Native grass pastures provide high quality summer quail on your property. Use an approved herbicide to remove unwanted grasses, such as fescue, and let natural plant forage for cattle and cover for bobwhites/wildlife. succession occur. • Overgrown fencerows have been replaced with mature trees that provide poor bobwhite escape cover. Manage your fencerows and woods edges to create brushy habitat. • The daily water requirements of bobwhites are usually met through moisture from green plants, food, insects, dew and snow.

This pamphlet was developed by the National Bobwhite Technical Committee ACRONYMS (NBTC), Outreach Committee. The CRP- Conservation Reserve Program, includes regular NBTC was formed by the Southeastern CRP, Continuous CRP and Conservation Reserve Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Enhancement Programs (CREP). in 1995 and is composed of wildlife EQIP- Environmental Quality Incentives Program biologists from state and federal agencies, NBCI - National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative universities, private conservation groups NBTC - National Bobwhite Technical Committee and private/corporate landowners. The NBTC is charged with addressing the long-term decline in bobwhite quail NGO- Non-Government Organization populations through management, research and education. 10/11 USDA - United States Department of Agriculture WHIP - Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program Photo credits: male bobwhite by Michael A. Kelly, longleaf pines by Louis Justice, prescribed burn by Elsa Gallager, cattle and forbs by David Howell Nesting Foods Bobwhites often construct nests by forming a slight Bobwhites are primarily seed-eaters, with over 1000 depression in the soil, lined with grass and/or pine needles different plants having been documented in their diet. As The bobwhite quail is the most widely distributed and and the nest commonly includes a canopy of dead much as 75 percent of the annual adult diet may be intensively studied of all North American quail, but in grasses. Nests are often within 75 feet of an opening or composed of food from annual plants (ragweed, foxtail). recent decades its abundance has declined dramatically edge. Preferred nesting sites contain some scattered Various legumes, including lespedezas (not sericea) and throughout much of its native range. Critical to helping shrubs and have been undisturbed for two or more years. beggarweeds, make an especially attractive food. It is improve quail numbers is an understanding of bobwhite In a pasture/range situation, continuous grazing or critical that seeds are available on exposed soil with ecology and management. This pamphlet offers a improper stocking rates can result in removal of nesting upright overhead cover offering protection while the birds summary of key quail life history and habitat management cover and elimination of bunch grasses. A typical clutch forage. In the case of waste grains (soybeans, corn, needs. contains 12-15 eggs that hatch 23 days after incubation wheat), thick brushy or woody cover needs to be nearby. begins. Nest success varies from site to site and from year During the late winter/early spring period, green to year, however, approximately 25% of all nests are vegetation becomes a key food and may improve the Habitat Basics successful. Bobwhites will re-nest following unsuccessful overall physical condition of the birds, thereby resulting Bobwhites utilize a variety of cover throughout their broad attempts and research has shown that in good habitat, in improved nest success. Insects are eaten in small geographic range, including: second broods are more common than once believed. quantities by adult bobwhites, but are essential for chicks. Below is a summary of some regional foods used by • Grass/forb communities – This cover varies from the bobwhite quail. native grass and forb (forbs are non-woody broad-leaved Brood Habitat plants) rangelands at the western edge of bobwhite range Soon after hatching, broods leave the nest and are cared to the old fields, fallow areas and savanna habitat in the Major bobwhite plant foods reported from several for by one or both adults. To ensure best brood survival, it East. Throughout its entire range, it is especially geographic regions in the United States (Dimmick 1992)* is important that quality brood-raising cover be available. important that the bobwhiteʼs habitat not be too thick at Young chicks must be able to move easily on semi-bare ground level. Bare ground interspersed with upright Southeastern Coastal Midwest & Midsouth South Texas ground so they can catch insects. Overhead cover is also Plains & Piedmont Agricultural Lands Plains annual and perennial plants (forbs) provides food and needed to protect chicks from predators and harsh Beggarweeds (sticktights) foraging areas, brood-rearing, nesting habitat and Korean/Kobe Lespedeza Doveweeds weather. A mixture of annual grasses and forbs (such as Corn Common Ragweed roosting sites. Periodic habitat disturbance (plowing, Crab Grass Hoary Milkpea ragweed, beggarweeds (sticktights) and annual Sassafras Dogwood Yellow Woodsorrel disking, grazing, controlled burning, herbicide spraying) Ragweed Wild Beans lespedezas) provide cover and high protein foods (insects) Ragweeds is critical in areas where higher rainfall occurs. Brood- Korean/Kobe Lespedeza Beggarweeds (sticktights) needed by bobwhite chicks. Oaks (acorns) Partridge Pea Verbena raising and food-producing grass/forb communities --- so Pines Blackberries Texas Millet Wild Beans Wild Rice vital to the birds well-being --- can be lost to advancing Panic Grasses Oaks (acorns) plant succession in as little as two or three years in higher Fall/Winter Activities Wheat Wild Grape Switchgrass Paspalums Ash Bristlegrass rainfall areas. Broods and unmated birds typically join together and Bicolor Lespedeza Sorghum Partridge Pea Browntop Millet • Shrubby/woody communities – Shrubs and trees are break-up throughout the late summer/early fall. This mixing Soybean Sassafras Groundcherry Foxtails important components of good bobwhite habitat. These of bobwhites is referred to as the "fall shuffle". When the Dogwoods Spiny Hackberry Sorghum Wheat areas provide protection from predators and extreme traditional covey unit has formed, it contains an average of Ash Corn Live Oak (acorns) Foxtail Grasses Soybeans Paspalums weather, offer travel lanes and resting areas, and provide 10 to 16 birds and may include young from several different Blackberries food. The western edge of the bobwhiteʼs range contains broods. Bobwhite coveys typically settle into a * Dimmick, Ralph, 1992. Northern Bobwhite. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. National Technical grasslands with scattered thorny bushes; the Plains and "headquarters" area, containing some brushy/woody cover Information Service. 5285 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, VA 22161. 78 pp. Midwest are dominated by brushy draws, fence rows and adjacent to a winter food supply of weed seeds, waste woodlots; and the East and Southeast contain pine grains and soft/hard mast. On more northern winter In the Southeast, longleaf pine plantings provide for both woods and shrubby travel lanes. Pine woods require ranges, a portion of the brushy/woody cover must contain timber production and wildlife benefits. periodic thinning and a basal area of no more than 50 to a dense understory. Coveys typically move less than a 1/4 60 square feet per acre that permits a grass/forb mile on winter ranges, but movement varies based on understory. Following a thinning, a prescribed burn should disturbance, weather and food availability. Bobwhites be utilized to enhance habitat quality. Patches of prefer to roost on the ground in low-growing weedy shrubby/wooded areas interspersed with cropland and vegetation, but will move into thicker cover during periods grass/forb vegetation are needed for bobwhites to attain of severe winter weather. good population levels. • Letʼs Turn ʻem Loose … Releasing pen-raised birds will never be the answer to having more wild quail. While those pen-raised birds may help maintain shooting Everyone would like to see more • Cover is Critical … Any tract of land being developed preserves and assist with dog training and field trials, they bobwhites on their property. to benefit quail, from 40 to 4,000 acres, must have can never help bring back our native wild bobwhites. Accomplishing that objective sufficient favorable cover that enables bobwhites to often takes a lot more work and survive and thrive. That cover, which varies by region, • Education A Key …Understanding what can be done effort than many folks imagine. must fulfill the seasonal needs of quail. Simply planting on your farm or ranch to maintain or increase bobwhite Below are some common a couple food plots is no guarantee the right amount of numbers is essential. No game bird has received more misconceptions that landowners bobwhite nesting, brood-raising, foraging and roosting attention and study than the bobwhite quail. Please check should be aware of as they strive to cover occurs to support a quail population. The farm out www.bringbackbobwhites.org for more information on implement a quail management plan. landscape of yesteryear, with multiple, small diversified successful quail management. Additionally, participation farming operations, created a favorable environment in a local or regional workshop or field day on quail • Disturbance - Diversity - Dedication… for bobwhites. Unfortunately, it takes a more conscious management can help you see what other landowners Those words describe the backbone of any quail effort to achieve that goal today. have done to benefit quail numbers. Today, more management plan. The bobwhite simply cannot exist in opportunity exists to receive technical and financial good numbers if a well-developed plan that stresses • Looks Good To Me …Many individuals interested in support for bobwhite management through state, federal those three words is not implemented. So often having more bobwhites on their farm or ranch fail to see and non-governmental organization programs than has individuals think that they can just protect an area for differences in the cover they have today and that of ever occurred. Please take advantage of it. quail and expect the birds to thrive. It wonʼt happen. The years past, when quail populations thrived. Changes in best managed wild bobwhite areas today, whether on plant species occurrence and composition can be both pine plantations, grazing lands or grain farms have a subtle and dramatic. Those changes result in both the large portion (typically 1/3 to 2/3 depending on weather quality and quantity of available quail habitat and are a Go to www.bringbackbobwhites.org to find out more & habitat conditions) of the landscape disturbed annually major reason for our current quail decline. about bobwhite/wildlife management. by controlled burning, disking, grazing or cropping.

FOOD AND COVER ESTABLISHMENT PRACTICES THAT CAN HELP IMPROVE QUAIL ABUNDANCE. COST-SHARE AVAILABILITY* FOOD/COVER WHERE SUITED BENEFIT TIME FREQUENCY OF PRACTICE WHIP STATE/ ESTABLISHMENT CRP EQIP NGO Buffers/ Crop areas adjacent to Several to many years, if maintained Nesting, brood-rearing, & travel lanes Spring / Fall X X X Field Borders drainage areas & forest edges properly Cool Season Grasses Open lands needing wildlife Nesting, foraging and roosting cover. Best Should persist for several years. Prevent Fall / Spring X X X (Not Fescue) friendly cover done in mixtures with forbs & legumes. heavy litter buildup. Open fields, idle areas, Food (insects & seeds), brood habitat & Several years, but management Forbs & Legumes pine/savanna understory, Fall / Spring X X X cover disturbance needed. buffers & field borders Annually, but also creates natural early Open acres needing winter Grain Plantings Food / bare ground Spring / Summer successional plant cover if left undisturbed X foods up to two years after planting. Native range along SE coastal Restores valuable fire-friendly ecosystem Planting Late Winter / Longleaf Pine 75+ years over sawlog rotation. X X X areas for quail/wildlife Early Spring Open fields, pine savanna Nesting & roosting cover. Best done in Native Warm Season Indefinitely, but periodic disturbance a understory, buffers and field mixtures with forbs & legumes. Use lowest Spring / Early Summer X X X Grasses must. borders, rotational pastures seeding rates for wildlife plantings. Creates early successional plant cover Every two to four years. More frequent in Natural Plant Succession Any area subject to disturbance Year-round X X vital to bobwhite survival. areas with high rainfall. Maintenance activities Oak/Savanna Restoration Degraded oak/savanna areas Restores beneficial ecosystem Indefinitely, if properly maintained. X X X completed year-round. Shrubs Large open fields & travel lanes Escape areas & travel lanes Late Winter Indefinitely, but periodic thinning needed. X X X

*Programs change, so check with your wildlife biologist or natural resource personnel for current availability. MAJOR BOBWHITE SEASONAL ACTIVITIES AND NEEDS

January Nesting (April 15-September) Fall Shuffle Mixture of scattered bunch grasses, forbs and seedling Brooding trees. Moderate litter (June- from previous year. Pair-bonds October) No-till row crops. Recently Escape and Protection fallowed (October-April) ground: erect annual Dense cover. Vine-filled forbs, well-spaced stems, thicket, wood lot, exposed soil beneath. Legume October Forbs are non-woody broad-leaved plants that April July provide needed cover and food for bobwhites. hedgerows or fencerows. component for insect production. The forbs pictured are black-eyed Susan, daisy fleabane, ragweed and annual lespedeza. Illustration reprinted with permission of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries TYPES OF DISTURBANCE PRACTICES NEEDED TO CREATE AND MAINTAIN QUAIL HABITAT. COST-SHARE AVAILABILITY* DISTURBANCE WHERE SUITED BENEFIT TIME FREQUENCY OF PRACTICE WHIP STATE/ PRESCRIPTION CRP EQIP NGO Primarily fall/winter, but Idle fields, thinned pine Thin litter accumulation , kill hardwood Usually every 2-3 years, depending on Controlled Burning growing season burns may x x x plantations trees & shrubs, stimulate native legumes vegetation growth. be useful. Openings, idle fields, thinned pine Sets back plant succession, thins Every 2-3 years, disk small percent Strip Disking Fall / Winter best x x x stands, older CRP plantings. overgrown areas to improve brood cover. annually on rotational basis. Opens stands, permits more sunlight on Varies by species and site index. From Pine Thinning Pine plantations Year Round x x ground to encourage forb growth. quail standpoint thin as often as possible. Native grass paddocks Establishes ideal roosting and nesting High intensity - low Grazing established for short duration cover. Properly manage grazing intensity frequency grazing works well Annually x grazing systems (no overgrazing). with native bunch grass. No overgrazing. Proper grazing Implement at least a 3 Grazing Range management compatible with good quail Annually x pasture rotation system. management. Kill unwanted exotic plants. Thin Alters advancing plant succession and Mostly during spring, Herbicides or eliminate competing enhances success of tree, shrub, Annually to several years. x x x summer, fall. vegetation. grass/legume/forb establishment. Roller Chopping / Open fields - Fall/Winter Open fields and brushland Sets back plant succession. Every 2 - 3 years. x Aeration Brush control - late summer Idle fields, established fescue Fescue Conversion Eliminate poor quality wildlife cover. Fall through early Spring Permanently eliminate fescue. x x x plantings. Open fields. May be needed to Can help improve access, but best quail Mowing mow heavy vegetation before benefits accomplished from other September through March Generally done on annual rotational basis. x disking. practices. *Programs change, so check with your wildlife biologist or natural resource personnel for current availability.