Woodpeckers, Doves & Other Land Birds
Northern Bobwhite
Colinus virginianus
A small, round quail that whistles its own name: "bob-WHITE!" Its numbers have dropped sharply as grasslands and brushy farm edges disappear.
How to identify it
- Plump, round, rusty-brown body with scaled underparts
- Male: white throat and eyebrow with black stripes
- Female: buff-colored throat and eyebrow
- Clear whistle "bob-WHITE!"
SizeAbout the size of an American Robin
Song Sparrow6 in
Northern Bobwhite10 in
American Robin10 in
American Crow19 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 9–10 in long; wingspan 13–15 in
- Weight
- 6–8 oz
- Habitat
- Grasslands, brushy fields, farm edges and open pine woods
- When to see it
- Year-round across the eastern and central US
- Diet
- Seeds, insects, leaves
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Eats seeds, leaves and insects found on the ground, especially from weeds and crops.
Nesting
A shallow scrape on the ground under grass, often with grass woven into an arch overhead.
- Clutch
- 7–28 eggs
- Incubation
- about 23 days
- Young
- Leave the nest within a day; fly at about 2 weeks
- Broods
- 1–2 per year
Behavior
Lives in groups called coveys outside the breeding season. At night, coveys sit in a tight circle facing outward.
Conservation
Declined by more than 80% since the 1960s as grasslands and farm edges disappeared.
Cool facts
- Roosting in a circle keeps the covey warm and lets them burst away in every direction.
- Both males and females may incubate and raise a brood.
- Its "bob-WHITE" whistle carries a long way.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Northern Bobwhite
▶Video coming soon
