Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Oklahoma
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have experienced a general decline across most of their range over the last 40–50 years (Brennan 1991, Sauer et al. 2008). Over this time period, populations across their entire range have declined by an average rate of 3.0% per year (Sauer et al. 2008). In Oklahoma, quail populations also have experienced a long-term decline. Objectives are to determine the major factors driving long-term changes in Oklahoma bobwhite populations, particularly production and survival, relative to the interaction of fire and grazing, arthropod availability (particularly during nesting and brood-rearing), aerial and terrestrial predation, and aflotoxins and their effects on production and survival.