Because of its history as a game bird in North America, the northern bobwhite is one of the most intensively studied bird species in the world. We know tons about them, especially with regard to human activities like pesticide application and prescribed burning.
The bobwhite is a small, rotund, ground-dwelling bird. Adults are about the size of a large grapefruit and weigh roughly as much as a baseball. They have an intricately patterned, multi-colored body with feathers in mottled-brown, rufous, buff, white, black and gray. Males have a bold, black-and-white head, a white throat and a white brow stripe. Females have a buffy throat and brow. Both sexes have short, dark tails.
From my description, you might be sure you haven’t seen a bobwhite quail in our listening area, but you have probably heard one before.
