Bobwhite Quail, known for their whistle-like bob-bob-white song, are a critical indicator of the health of a habitat. Their numbers are declining in the Midwest. A project at the University of Missouri is designed to inform landowners on ways they can help save the little bird.
A field day 8 a.m. to noon on June 27 at the , east of Columbia, will showcase management practices and techniques farmers and ranchers can use to improve bobwhite habitat and increase populations on their property.
“The goal of the field day is to demonstrate practices that integrate wildlife diversity on a property, whether it’s a crop or livestock producer, forest land or property used for recreation activities,” said Tim Reinbott, Bradford superintendent. “It is also an opportunity for quail and plant enthusiasts, and people interested in conservation, to meet experts in Bobwhite Quail and habitat preservation.”
The event is sponsored by the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, the Missouri Department of Conservation, MU Extension, the Missouri Soybean Association, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
A Little Bird in Trouble
Bobwhite Quail are small game birds, weighing only 5 to 6 ounces, which can fly short distances up to 30 mph. Bobwhite populations have suffered since the 1950s when intensive farming production practices destroyed much of their habitat. Today’s quail population is only about one-fifth of what it was in those days.
Bobwhites are an important part of the food chain, eating insects harmful to agriculture; its predators include hawks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes. A healthy bobwhite population in an area is an indicator of a healthy ecosystem.
Since 2003, a research project at Bradford has tested practical ways farmers can maintain maximum productivity while leaving enough habitat for the bobwhite to thrive. Since that time, Audubon Society counts have recorded a 23-fold quail population increase at the research farm due to these management practices.
Reviewed 2015-02-26