Northern bobwhite

Bobwhites live in groups called coveys through the autumn and winter. At night the covey roosts on the ground in a tight ring, tails in and heads out, so the birds share warmth and can burst away in every direction if disturbed.

In spring pairs split off, and males whistle their name from fence posts.

The northern bobwhite is a bird of open, frequently burned pine woods and weedy fields, and its decline — by around 80 per cent across much of its range since the 1960s — tracks the loss of those places. Where land is managed with prescribed fire and native grasses, bobwhites come back, and so do the insects, songbirds and plants that share their habitat.

Nest — A shallow scrape roofed over with grass on the ground
Eggs — Usually 12 to 16
Incubation — About 23 days, by either parent
Chicks — Leave the nest within hours, feed themselves and can fly short distances at two weeks
Lifespan — Most live less than a year; a few survive several

• Mowing field edges in late spring and summer destroys nests; leaving edges until autumn helps.
• Brushy edges and native grasses give coveys cover from hawks.
• Free-roaming cats take many ground-nesting birds and chicks.

• A quail chick alone is abandoned. Chicks scatter and hide when danger comes and call to regroup; the parents are close by.
• Bobwhites have declined because of predators. The loss of open, burned pine woods and weedy fields is the main cause.

• Wild turkey
• Ruffed grouse
• Mourning dove