Bobwhites are in the Gallinaceous family, (turkey, grouse, quail, partridge and pheasants). All have short, heavy bills with upper mandible strongly decurved. Wings short and rounded. Tails may be short to very long. Legs rather long. Burst into full flight with rapid wingbeats from a sitting position. Quail are the smallest in the New and Old World family. Northern Bobwhites need milder winters to survive. Maybe with notable climate changes, such as 2023/24’s recent mildness and little snow-cover, there may be hope to see a bobwhite some day. During cold weather they gather together in social groups called coveys of up to 30 roosting birds, huddling, facing outward, for warmth and protection. They sleep on the ground. They vigorously defend these territories.
They are popular with hunters, the only native quail in our region due to habitat loss. When disturbed they burst into flight enmass. Large numbers of breeders are licensed to raise bobwhites in captivity and release for hunting. These birds could be widely dispersed, may appear anywhere. My son David lives in Wallaceburg, the ideal region to see bobwhites, (Sarnia/Walpole Island.)
ID: chunky, rotund reddish brown with wide, white eye brow stripes and throat/chin patches in male and buff in female. Tail dark, may be long and sweeping, grey. Underparts pale and streaked.
Flight: rapid when startled flight, followed by brief glide; seldom flies far before landing. Bursts from groundcover and dispersing in many directions. Species: worldwide 165. Two North American successfully. Lifespan up to 6 years. Size: 8-11”/25 cm. or meadow lark sized. Habitat; pastures, grassy roadsides, farmlands, open woods and edges, fencelines, ditches, brushy country. Range: permanent resident. Eastern USA south to Florida, Gulf Coast and Mexico. Introduced locally elsewhere. USA to Guatemala, Cuba.
Status: abundant in bush, abandoned fields, open pine stands, but not deep forests. Feeding; mainly weed and grass seeds and buds, bugs and insects in summer, fruit and acorns in autumn, cracked corn scattered on the ground. Also snails and spiders. May come to feeders at ground level. Voice: loud call, rising bob-WHITE. whistled ho-ha. occurs 4-6/minute. Nesting: nest is a shallow scrape concealed with vegetation, partially domed with small opening in the side, and lined with vegetation. Nesting occurs March-September. Two broods, 14-16 eggs. Incubated by both parents. Nests placed within 50’ of a clearing.
Conservation; declining due to habitat changes by humans. Does not survive harsh northern winters. Estimated at just over 200 individuals in the Walpole Island area. Resources; Birds of Ontario, Audubon, Golden, Stokes, Feeding Winter birds in Ontario.