Northern Bobwhite

The Northern Bobwhite, named for the sound of its call, which only sounds like “bob white” if you know that’s what it’s called (well, at least to me), is a type of quail that resides in the Eastern USA from Florida to Minnesota and North Carolina to Texas.

Classified as a “Common bird in steep decline,” according to AllAboutBirds.org, “Northern Bobwhites were once a common species in eastern North America, but experienced widespread, sharp declines of approximately 3.1% per year, for a cumulative decline of about 81% between 1966 to 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. If this loss continues, their numbers will be halved in less than ten years.”

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of observing some Northern Bobwhites when I was out and about our farm. As they spend most of their time on the ground, usually under the cover of tall grass in the hedgerows, they are easier to hear than see. Lucky for me, yesterday I watched the meeting of two pairs. The encounter resulted in an interesting “racing around” behavior amongst the birds, and then the four of them ran in a single line down the road. It was quite amusing.

A Bobwhite’s call is very distinct and clear. In the video below you can hear the bird in the frame call and then another bird in the distance call shortly later.