Represented by more than 20 subspecies, the northern bobwhite inhabits central and eastern North America, from southern Canada to Mexico; introduced populations are also found in the Pacific Northwest. Despite their broad range, these small quail are subject to periodic die-offs related to severe cold or heavy snow and are threatened by habitat loss in many areas.
Northern bobwhites favor brushlands and immature woodlands where they forage for insects, seeds and berries. Once maintained by occasional wildfires, drought and storms, such habitat has been replaced by suburban sprawl, crop fields, tree farms and mature forest across much of the quail's range. Bobwhites pair off intermittently throughout the spring and summer, raising several broods each year; however, this high reproductive rate is balanced by loss due to weather or predation (fox, weasels, accipiters, owls) and most chicks die within a year. By October, survivors gather in coveys of 20-30 birds, moving and feeding as a group before huddling together on cold winter nights.
As I learned during my boyhood in southern Ohio, bobwhites are more often heard than seen throughout the warmer months, when the distinctive call of the male echoes across fields and farmlands. During the fall and winter, these quail are usually encountered when hikers or dogs spook a covey, causing the members to explode from the brush in all directions.
