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2017

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Northern Bobwhite Demographic And Population Response Following An Intensive Habitat Modification To An Agricultural Landscape, Theron M. Terhune, D. Clay Sisson, Steven Mitchell, H. Lee Stribling Jul 2017

Northern Bobwhite Demographic And Population Response Following An Intensive Habitat Modification To An Agricultural Landscape, Theron M. Terhune, D. Clay Sisson, Steven Mitchell, H. Lee Stribling

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have been declining throughout most of their endemic range due to numerous factors (e.g., increased urbanization, predators); however, changing land-use practices have proved most detrimental to bobwhites. In parts of the southeastern USA, small-scale farming has been replaced by large-scale center-pivot irrigated fields and this has exacerbated habitat loss. Despite these trends, bobwhite populations in the Southeast have remained stable or increased on many areas employing intensive habitat management regimes, substantiating the importance of appropriate habitat management for long-term bobwhite persistence. In effort to reverse one such decline, we intensively modified a center-pivot, agriculture dominated …

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Species Visitation At Quail Feeders And Guzzlers In Southern New Mexico, Dale Rollins, Ben D. Taylor, Troy D. Sparks, Tom E. Wadell, George Richards Jul 2017

Species Visitation At Quail Feeders And Guzzlers In Southern New Mexico, Dale Rollins, Ben D. Taylor, Troy D. Sparks, Tom E. Wadell, George Richards

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Providing supplemental feed and water are sometimes used to manage scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) in the Chihuahuan Desert even though their biological and economical efficacies are questionable. Seasonal visitation rates of scaled quail and various nontarget species are important parameters affecting the efficacy of feeding and watering practices. However, empirical data on visitation by scaled quail at feeders and guzzlers are lacking. We used video surveillance to assess species visitation at free-choice quail feeders and guzzlers in south-central New Mexico during 2002. Scaled quail accounted for 19.4 and 21.5% of visitations at feeders and guzzlers, respectively. Mourning doves (Zenaida macroura), …

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Influence Of Habitat, Fire, And Weather On Bobwhite Abundance At Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida, Brett D. Miley, Marian Lichtler Jul 2017

Influence Of Habitat, Fire, And Weather On Bobwhite Abundance At Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida, Brett D. Miley, Marian Lichtler

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

From 1993 to 2005, we conducted 13 years of early breeding season call counts at Avon Park Air Force Range, in south-central Florida. Historically, this area has been an open, frequently burned landscape with a rainy summer season and a dry spring. We used call count data (n = 67 stations/year) and 400-m buffer areas around each point to investigate the effects of habitat preference, fire impacts, and weather variations on bobwhite abundance. Using logistic regression, we determined that bobwhite in south-central Florida prefer open canopy, dry/mesic habitats in prairie and flatwoods over pine plantations and wet areas. Investigated by …

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Effects Of Timber Density On Northern Bobwhite Autumn Abundance, Ian T. Little, Shane D. Wellendorf, William E. Palmer, John P. Carroll Jul 2017

Effects Of Timber Density On Northern Bobwhite Autumn Abundance, Ian T. Little, Shane D. Wellendorf, William E. Palmer, John P. Carroll

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Mature pine (Pinus spp.) ecosystems maintained with frequent prescribed fire are the primary habitat of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) in the Red Hills region of northern Florida and southern Georgia. Timber volume is thought to be negatively related to bobwhite abundance; however, this relationship has not been quantified. We related mean basal area of mature trees (>15cm dbh) to autumn covey call count indices at 23 locations on 6 study areas with varying timber volume, but similar bobwhite management practices, 2002 - 2004. Bobwhite abundance was inversely related to timber volume (r = -0.61, P = 0.002). Adjusted covey …

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Usable Space Versus Food Quantity In Bobwhite Habitat Management, Douglas S. Cram, Ronald E. Masters, Fred S. Guthery, David M. Engle, Warren G. Montague Jul 2017

Usable Space Versus Food Quantity In Bobwhite Habitat Management, Douglas S. Cram, Ronald E. Masters, Fred S. Guthery, David M. Engle, Warren G. Montague

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

We studied the response of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) foods (plants and invertebrates), usable space, and populations following thinning and burning on the 60,000-ha pine (Pinus spp.)-grassland restoration area in the Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas, to examine 2 hypotheses commonly used to manage bobwhite habitat: 1) usable space (suitable permanent cover) and 2) food quantity (an element of habitat quality). We estimated invertebrate food abundance using sweep nets and abundance of food-producing plants using herbaceous and woody stem counts. The disk of vulnerability was used to index usable space. We used whistling-male counts to index population response. Relative abundance, mass, …

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Effects Of Sex, Age, And Habitat On Northern Bobwhite Spring Dispersal Patterns, M. Patrick Cook, Richard G. Hamrick, John P. Carroll Jul 2017

Effects Of Sex, Age, And Habitat On Northern Bobwhite Spring Dispersal Patterns, M. Patrick Cook, Richard G. Hamrick, John P. Carroll

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Information on northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) dispersal patterns is crucial for implementing effective management strategies. Researchers have examined bobwhite dispersal, but information on how habitat affects dispersal patterns is lacking. We examined the effects of habitat, sex, and age on bobwhite spring dispersal patterns in a southern Georgia agricultural landscape during 2002-2003. Of 101 birds used in our analyses, 29.7% (4.6 SE) dispersed an average of 1,835m (194 SE). We fit 9 logistic regression models to predict bobwhite dispersal probability. The selected best model (Akaike weight [ω] = 0.58) included age, proportions of closed-canopy pine within winter home ranges (CCPN), …

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Release Of Pen-Reared Bobwhites: Potential Consequences To The Genetic Integrity Of Resident Wild Populations, Kristine O. Evans, Mark D. Smith, Loren W. Burger Jr., Rachel J. Chambers, Allan E. Houston, Rick Carlisle Jul 2017

Release Of Pen-Reared Bobwhites: Potential Consequences To The Genetic Integrity Of Resident Wild Populations, Kristine O. Evans, Mark D. Smith, Loren W. Burger Jr., Rachel J. Chambers, Allan E. Houston, Rick Carlisle

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

In response to low encounter rates with wild northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter bobwhite) during bird dog field trials at Ames Plantation in Tennessee, a large-scale release program of pen-reared bobwhites was implemented in fall 2002. To evaluate genetic effects of pen-reared releases on wild populations, we monitored survival of pen-reared and wild bobwhites from fall release of pen-reared bobwhites through the breeding season and collected feather samples from wild, pen-reared, and free-ranging juvenile bobwhites following the first breeding season after the initial release. We used genotypes from 6 polymorphic microsatellite loci to measure genetic diversity and conduct population assignment …

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Habitat Use And Survival Of The Spoted Tinamou (Nothura Maculosa) In Agroecosystems In The Province Of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jeffrey J. Thompson, John P. Carroll Jul 2017

Habitat Use And Survival Of The Spoted Tinamou (Nothura Maculosa) In Agroecosystems In The Province Of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jeffrey J. Thompson, John P. Carroll

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Changes in the composition and configuration of agricultural landscapes stemming from grassland conversion and agricultural intensification have contributed to the global declines of many grassland and shrubland birds. In both North America and Europe there exists a large body of research on the effects of agriculture on populations of terrestrial gamebirds. However, little research exists for these species in Argentina or Latin America in general. In Argentina the most important gamebird species is the spotted tinamou (Nothura maculosa). This species has become increasingly scarce in a significant portion of its range, possibly due to agricultural intensification over the last 15 …

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Managing Black-Throated Bobwhite For Sustainability In Belize: Preliminary Results Of A Population Study, Jack Eitniear, Reynold Cal, Wilbur Martinez, Omar Fiqueroa, John Baccus Jul 2017

Managing Black-Throated Bobwhite For Sustainability In Belize: Preliminary Results Of A Population Study, Jack Eitniear, Reynold Cal, Wilbur Martinez, Omar Fiqueroa, John Baccus

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The Black-throated Bobwhite (Colinus nigrogularis), a close relative of the Northern Bobwhite (C. virginianus), has a distinctive black throat and eye-stripes with both bounded by white. Black-throated Bobwhites occur in three distinct geographically isolated populations. Currently no limits or seasons are in place and a hunting license is the only requirement for harvesting this species in Belize. Little is known about Black-throated Bobwhite populations in Belize and data on the impact of hunting on this species is lacking. Because of its restricted distribution, it was recommended that Black-throated Bobwhites should be removed from the list of legally hunted species pending …

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Northern Bobwhite Brood Habitat Selection In South Florida, Nevena Martin, James A. Martin, John P. Carroll Jul 2017

Northern Bobwhite Brood Habitat Selection In South Florida, Nevena Martin, James A. Martin, John P. Carroll

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

During the past 3 decades, Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite(s)) populations have decreased throughout most of their distribution. A variety of factors have been attributed as the cause for this decline including changes in land use, agricultural intensification, increased predation, and high chick mortality. We assessed fourth-order habitat selection of broods in south Florida to develop predictions of management strategies that favor bobwhite brood success. We analyzed canopy coverage at actual brood locations versus both random-within MCP home range locations and random-outside MCP home range locations. Average home range size was 5.53 ± 2.43 ha. Our data suggests that …

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Integrating Burning And Insecticide To Reduce Fire Ant Impacts On Bobwhite Chicks, Amy Norton Johnson, C. Brad Dabbert, Robert B. Mitchell, Harlan G. Thorvilson Jul 2017

Integrating Burning And Insecticide To Reduce Fire Ant Impacts On Bobwhite Chicks, Amy Norton Johnson, C. Brad Dabbert, Robert B. Mitchell, Harlan G. Thorvilson

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Hatching northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) chicks experience a low survival rate when exposed to a significant number of foraging red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta; RIFA). We initiated a study in southeastern Texas to determine if a reduced rate of insecticide and/or prescribed burning could decrease the foraging activity of RIFA below the threshold that causes mortality of northern bobwhite chicks. Research sites were divided into burned and nonburned plots and individual plots randomly received one of 4 rates of insecticide treatment: 0, 50, 75 or 100% of the recommended label rate (1.68 kg/ha) of Amdro ® (hydramethylnon) insecticide bait …

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Estimating Sample Sizes For Distance Sampling Of Autumn Northern Bobwhite Calling Coveys, Mark D. Smith, Richard G. Hamrick, L. Wes Burger Jr., John P. Carroll Jul 2017

Estimating Sample Sizes For Distance Sampling Of Autumn Northern Bobwhite Calling Coveys, Mark D. Smith, Richard G. Hamrick, L. Wes Burger Jr., John P. Carroll

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Point transect sampling of calling coveys has been advocated for estimating autumn abundance of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter bobwhite). We conducted power analysis, over a range of expected bobwhite calling covey densities to determine levels of sampling required to obtain density estimates for calling coveys over a wide range of precision. We used distance/detection information for autumn bobwhite coveys from 701 observer-mornings on 39 farms in the Upper Coastal Plain of Georgia to construct a global detection function (Uniform with cosine adjustment) using Program DISTANCE. We used simulation models to determine the expected coefficient of variation (CV) on density …

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Refining The Morning Covey-Call Survey To Estimate Northern Bobwhite Abundance, Joshua P. Rusk, Jason L. Scott, Fidel Hernandez, Fred C. Bryant Jul 2017

Refining The Morning Covey-Call Survey To Estimate Northern Bobwhite Abundance, Joshua P. Rusk, Jason L. Scott, Fidel Hernandez, Fred C. Bryant

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Morning covey-call surveys have been mentioned extensively as a practical and efficient way to estimate abundance of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) with minimal effort. However, many of the protocol specifics such as radius of audibility and probability of a covey calling were not based on empirical data. Other limitations also existed such as variation in observers’ detection capacity and calling behavior of coveys. These shortcomings limit the reliability of this survey technique. The objectives of our study were to 1) obtain an empirical estimate of radius of audibility, 2) document observer variability in estimating number of coveys heard, and 3) …

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The Gwct Partridge Count Scheme: A Volunteer-Based Monitoring And Conservation Promotion Scheme, Julie Ewald, Nevile Kingon, Hugues Santin-Janin Jul 2017

The Gwct Partridge Count Scheme: A Volunteer-Based Monitoring And Conservation Promotion Scheme, Julie Ewald, Nevile Kingon, Hugues Santin-Janin

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (GWCT) Partridge Count Scheme (PCS) is a volunteer-based monitoring system serving as a means for delivering conservation and ‘best practice’ advice to participants (farmers, land managers and gamekeepers). Originally designed to monitor numbers of grey partridge (Perdix perdix) on UK shooting estates, it has been expanded to include participants primarily interested in conservation in response to the UK government’s Grey Partridge Species Action Plan. The PCS is also an invaluable tool for examining trends in partridge abundance and population parameters. We examined trends in annual Grey Partridge production (autumn counts available from 1933) and …

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Restoring A Gray Partridge (Perdix Perdix) Population And The Future Of Predation Control, G. R. Potts Jul 2017

Restoring A Gray Partridge (Perdix Perdix) Population And The Future Of Predation Control, G. R. Potts

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

For the past quarter century, the author’s partridge (Perdix perdix) population simulation model has been a useful guide, incorporating annual variation in chick survival rate, nesting habitat quality, nest predation, pesticides affecting the supply of insect food for the chicks and shooting. The 2 most important variables, density dependent nest predation and effect of insect food supply have been experimentally verified and all parts of the model have been extensively validated. However some very high densities achieved in northern France have not been fully explained. An ongoing conservation research project within the Sussex Downs Study (U.K.) area is described. The …

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Management Of Southern African Gamebirds: Opportunities And Threats, Tim Crowe Jul 2017

Management Of Southern African Gamebirds: Opportunities And Threats, Tim Crowe

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Three evolutionarily quite distinct groups of galliforms contribute to a healthy wingshooting industry in southern Africa: guineafowl (Numida spp.), francolins (Scleroptila spp.) and spurfowls (Pternistis spp.). Some species, such as the helmeted guineafowl (N. meleagris), Swainson’s spurfowl (P. swainsonii) and greywing francolin (S. africanus), thrive in moderate to heavily disturbed landscapes, mainly agriculture. In fact, helmeted guineafowl and Swainson’s spurfowl increased both in abundance and range during the 20th century. Others, such as the redwing (S. levaillantii) and Orange River francolins (S. levaillantoides) are very sensitive to certain types of land use. These strikingly different responses to land use require …

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Integrating Management, Research, And Monitoring: Balancing The 3-Legged Stool, Michael J. Conroy, James T. Peterson Jul 2017

Integrating Management, Research, And Monitoring: Balancing The 3-Legged Stool, Michael J. Conroy, James T. Peterson

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Research and monitoring programs are often thought of as competing with “on the ground management” for attention and funding. This is false trichotomy; instead, it is more appropriate to view management, research, and monitoring as complementary endeavors, in which loss of any 1 of the 3 is disruptive to the remaining 2. There is often significant or even profound uncertainty about the system’s likely response to management, beyond environmental and other sources of uncontrolled variation. Sometimes this uncertainty can be reduced through directed research studies, including experimentation. However, management decisions usually cannot await the completion of elaborate, multiple-year studies. Adaptive …

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Closing Remarks: Pieces Of The Puzzle, Circles In The Stream, Leonard A. Brennan Jul 2017

Closing Remarks: Pieces Of The Puzzle, Circles In The Stream, Leonard A. Brennan

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

No abstract provided.

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Effects Of Supplemental Feeding On Northern Bobwhite Populations In South Texas, Ted B. Doerr, Nova J. Silvy Jul 2017

Effects Of Supplemental Feeding On Northern Bobwhite Populations In South Texas, Ted B. Doerr, Nova J. Silvy

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

During 1985–87, the effects of supplemental feeding on northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations were studied on 4 paired sites, representing a cross-section of soils, vegetation, and hunting pressure in south Texas. Whole milo was provided from late fall–March. Feeding increased winter survival of birds on deep sand sites (225–245%), but not on red sandy loam or clay sites. Feeding did not improve reproductive success on any of the study sites. Most birds collected had milo in their crops and there was a tendency to find birds close to feeders more often than at random points. The study demonstrated that supplemental …

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A Decade Of Progress, A Decade Of Frustration, Leonard A. Brennan Jul 2017

A Decade Of Progress, A Decade Of Frustration, Leonard A. Brennan

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The past decade has seen tremendous research progress for the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). Research conducted during the 1990s advanced our understanding of bobwhite breeding biology, habitat relationships, long-term population trends, and genetics, among other things. Technological advances allowed improvements in censusing techniques, tracking broods, assessing population status in relation to broad scale land use changes, and identifying nest predators. The 1990s also saw the development of a National Strategic Plan for Quail Management and Research, the emergence of the Southeast Quail Study Group, and a renewed interest in National Quail Symposia. Despite this recent renaissance in research and related …

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Comparison Of Northern Bobwhite Chick Fecal And Crop Analyses, Kristen Utz, John P. Carroll, Steven J. Moreby Jul 2017

Comparison Of Northern Bobwhite Chick Fecal And Crop Analyses, Kristen Utz, John P. Carroll, Steven J. Moreby

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Impacts of modem agriculture on gamebird brood ecology have been studied in a number of species. One common factor cited has been the decline in available invertebrate food available to foraging chicks. In the United Kingdom, assessment of chick diet has been accomplished mainly through fecal analysis of wild chicks, whereas in North America crop analysis of human-imprinted chicks has become a commonly applied technique. We compared results of both techniques on groups of human-imprinted northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) chicks to determine if these different techniques provide similar results. Chicks were allowed to forage in groups of 6-8 in cotton …

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Relationship Among Plasma Tiglycerides, Body Mass, Reproduction Of Northern Bobwhites, J. M. Mueller, C. B. Dabbert Jul 2017

Relationship Among Plasma Tiglycerides, Body Mass, Reproduction Of Northern Bobwhites, J. M. Mueller, C. B. Dabbert

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The earliest potential initiation of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) reproduction is limited by photoperiod. Secondary factors such as lipid reserves, diet, and stress often limit the beginning of northern bobwhite reproduction, potentially reducing reproductive success and causing a shorter reproductive season. We measured late winter body masses and plasma triglycerides of wild northern bobwhites and subsequent reproductive timing and effort in 1997 and 1998 on the coastal prairie of Texas. Using body mass and plasma triglyceride levels as indices of body fat, we tested the hypothesis that the onset of reproduction and first clutch size was influenced by late winter …

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A Comparison Of Two Quail Abundance Indices And Their Relationship To Quail Harvest In Texas, Stephen J. Demaso, Markus J. Peterson, Jon R. Purvis, Nova J. Silvy, Jerry L. Cooke Jul 2017

A Comparison Of Two Quail Abundance Indices And Their Relationship To Quail Harvest In Texas, Stephen J. Demaso, Markus J. Peterson, Jon R. Purvis, Nova J. Silvy, Jerry L. Cooke

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Surveys are used to monitor status and trends of animal populations. However, different surveys may give conflicting results for the same species and population being surveyed. Therefore, we compared results of the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) roadside counts for scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) and northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in Texas. Surveys were compared on both an ecoregion and statewide basis. The BBS and TPW surveys gave similar trends for bobwhites and scaled quail for 5 of 8, and 3 of 5 ecoregions, respectively. Survey trends differed at the statewide scale for both …

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Management Implications Of Estimating Abundance Of Quail Inhabiting Forest Environs In Mexico, Jack C. Eitniear, John T. Baccus Jul 2017

Management Implications Of Estimating Abundance Of Quail Inhabiting Forest Environs In Mexico, Jack C. Eitniear, John T. Baccus

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Estimating abundance of forest quail in Mexico offers unique challenges to wildlife managers. Unlike quail inhabiting grassland, forest quail are often cryptic, live in inaccessible mountainous areas, and unpredictably respond to playback census techniques. During 1996–1999, we estimated abundance of singing quail (Dactylortyx thoracicus) and bearded wood quail (Dendrortyx barbatus) in northeast Mexico. Singing quail were visually counted at El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, along 14 transects varying in length from 1,400 to 5,000 m. Because of the cryptic nature of bearded wood quail, visual counts proved unsuccessful in estimating abundance. Therefore, a tape recording of their chorus call was …

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Cyclicity In Northern Bobwhites: A Time-Analytic Review Of The Evidence, Wayne E. Thogmartin, John L. Roseberry, Alan Woolf Jul 2017

Cyclicity In Northern Bobwhites: A Time-Analytic Review Of The Evidence, Wayne E. Thogmartin, John L. Roseberry, Alan Woolf

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Cyclical behavior in wildlife populations, including northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), has long fascinated human observers. However, studies examining cyclicity of bobwhite abundance have yielded contradictory results. We reviewed evidence for periodic fluctuation in bobwhite abundance by studying 73 long-term time series. Our aim was to discern with time-series techniques whether cyclicity occurred in bobwhite abundance. We elucidated the frequency of occurrence, geographical distribution, and potential mechanisms responsible for cyclicity. Approximately one-half (n = 37) of the populations examined demonstrated cyclical behavior, with a period varying between 4 and 17 yrs. True cycles, consistent, significant fluctuations in abundance, were rare, occurring …

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Breeding Season Movements And Dispersal Of Northern Bobwhites In Fragmented Habitats Of Virginia, Michael L. Fies, K. Marc Puckett, Bonnie Larson-Brogdon Jul 2017

Breeding Season Movements And Dispersal Of Northern Bobwhites In Fragmented Habitats Of Virginia, Michael L. Fies, K. Marc Puckett, Bonnie Larson-Brogdon

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

To better understand dispersal patterns of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) in fragmented habitats, we measured breeding season movements of 198 radiomarked bobwhites in central and eastern Virginia during 1994–1996. Mean distance between arithmetic centers of winter (1 Feb–15 Apr) and early breeding season (16 Apr–30 Jun) activity areas was 1,194 +- 137 m. Distance between centers of winter and late breeding season (1 Jul–15 Sep) activity areas averaged 1,644 +- 209 m and was greater for juveniles than adults (P = 0.04). Maximum distances moved between winter and breeding season locations (early, late, and combined) was also greater for juveniles …

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Landscape-Scale Land-Cover Change And Long-Term Abundance Of Scaled Quail And Northern Bobwhite In Texas, Andrew S. Bridges, Markus J. Peterson, Nova J. Silvy, Fred E. Smeins, X. Ben Wu Jul 2017

Landscape-Scale Land-Cover Change And Long-Term Abundance Of Scaled Quail And Northern Bobwhite In Texas, Andrew S. Bridges, Markus J. Peterson, Nova J. Silvy, Fred E. Smeins, X. Ben Wu

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Between 1978 and 1998, scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) abundance in the Rolling Plains ecological region declined (r1 = -0.85, P < 0.001), while no trend (P = 0.74) was exhibited in the South Texas Plains. Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) exhibited no trend (P > 0.10) in either ecological region. Changes in land-cover between 1976 and 1998 indicated a loss of Savannah and Shrubland and an increase in Parkland cover types in the Rolling Plains. In the South Texas Plains, Woodland and Brush/Shrubland decreased between 1976 and 1998, whereas Brush/Shrub Parkland and Parkland increased. We examined land-cover change as a possible component in the scaled quail decline in the Rolling Plains. Loss of the Shrubland cover type may explain the decline of scaled quail in …

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Characteristics Of Four Agricultural Crops Established As Northern Bobwhite Brood Habitat, Denise A. Maidens, John P. Carroll Jul 2017

Characteristics Of Four Agricultural Crops Established As Northern Bobwhite Brood Habitat, Denise A. Maidens, John P. Carroll

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Small plots of agricultural crops are often planted in the Southeast for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) management. Often these are viewed as primarily winter habitat, and assumed to provide summer habitat. We evaluated the macroinvertebrate and vegetative structure of millet, sorghum, wheat, and soybean plots on a cotton farm to assess their value as bobwhite brood habitat. During June and July 1999 and June, July, and August 2000, we studied 5 blocks, each planted with all 4 agricultural crops. We measured invertebrate abundance along a 15-meter transect in each plot using vacuum sampling and height/density of vegetation. Visual obstruction readings …

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Does Habitat Management For Northern Bobwhites Benefit The Red Imported Fire Ant?, A.R. Forbes, C. B. Dabbert, R. B. Mitchell, J. M. Mueller Jul 2017

Does Habitat Management For Northern Bobwhites Benefit The Red Imported Fire Ant?, A.R. Forbes, C. B. Dabbert, R. B. Mitchell, J. M. Mueller

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) have caused damage to agricultural, economic, and wildlife resources since their accidental introduction. Previous studies have suggested that red imported fire ant (RIFA) mound densities are positively correlated to habitats maintained through disturbance. Prescribed burning and disking are two techniques commonly used to disturb portions of the landscape to maintain early successional habitats for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). We tested the hypothesis that prescribed burning and disking would increase RIFA mound densities. This study was conducted in Refugio County, Texas in the Texas Coastal Prairie on Loamy Prairie range sites. Red imported fire ant …

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The Impact Of Invasive Exotic Grasses On Quail In The Southwestern United States, William P. Kuvlesky Jr., Timothy E. Fulbright, Ron Engel-Wilson Jul 2017

The Impact Of Invasive Exotic Grasses On Quail In The Southwestern United States, William P. Kuvlesky Jr., Timothy E. Fulbright, Ron Engel-Wilson

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Five native quail species inhabit arid and semi-arid ecosystems in the southwestern United States. One species is endangered, one species is declining throughout it’s historic range, another species is declining in portions of its historic range, and the other two species may be beginning to decline in selected portions of their respective ranges. A number of factors have been implicated for these declines, though habitat loss is frequently cited as the most common factor associated with southwestern quail declines. Exotic species invasions in the United States represent a significant economic and biological threat to the United States. Many exotic organisms …

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