Written by Anna James & Atalanda Cameron

Armand Bayou Nature Center is now home to 13 Bobwhite Quail! You can come see them in their protected enclosure on our Discovery Loop. Their enclosure was generously provided by LyondellBasell and the quail were donated by Quail Covey Run. 

These small round birds belonging to the order Galliformes are the only quail native to the southeastern United States and have suffered a sharp decline due to habitat loss. Bobwhite quail are social birds and live in coveys of up to 30 individuals. They nest on the ground in prairie shrubs and woody brush. A steady supply of seeds, vegetation, berries, and insects make up their diet. Females lay about a dozen eggs at a time and can have up to three broods a year with multiple mates. Fragmentation of their natural habitat has isolated their populations and made them more vulnerable to diseases like eyeworms and caecal worms, and invasive species such as wild hogs and fire ants. Part of their native habitat includes our local Coastal Tallgrass Prairies, which have been decimated by development and invasive species. Less than 1% of Historic Coastal Tallgrass Prairie remains and as a result, their numbers on the gulf coast have lowered drastically. In this region in particular, their population can fluctuate widely with weather and land use patterns. 

Bobwhite Quail are important in their ecosystem because they’re an indicator species- when their populations are able to thrive within a habitat, it’s an indication that the area will be healthy enough to sustain other species with similar environmental preferences. The endangered Attwater’s Prairie Chicken is another bird species that lives within the tallgrass prairie and brush habitats that Bobwhite Quail need to survive. Bobwhite quail are a vital part of the food web as seed dispersers and insect eaters and they’re prey to many different predatory birds like hawks and owls, small mammals like opossums, skunks, and foxes, and even snakes. A healthy quail population may indicate thriving numbers within these other species as well. The prairie brush, forbes, and tall grasses in their preferred habitat also provide many ecosystem services: the root systems prevent soil erosion, absorb carbon dioxide from the environment, and help to filter stormwater to mitigate the effects of flooding. By preserving quail habitat, we are protecting ourselves as well as these vital ecoservices. 

We are grateful to LyondellBasell for providing the enclosure and to Quail Covey Run for donating 13 Bobwhite Quail!