quail presentation may
TRANSCRIPT
Northern Bobwhite Quail
Grasshopper Sparrow
Lark Bunting
Trend: Decline in grassland bird species
Meadowlark
Dickcissel
Quail are Valuable Birds• The average QU hunter spends:
• $10,354 per year on quail hunting• Majority spent in destination county• Lodging, fuel, food, supplies and leases
• Body length Approx. 9-10” • Wing span Approx. 14-16”• Weight Approx. 5-7 ounces
Body Size & Weight
• Clutch size varies from 12-15 eggs• One egg laid per day• Incubation lasts approximately 23 days• All eggs hatch within a couple of hours
Reproduction
• Records of living > 10 yrs in captivity
• Average life expectancy in the wild is < 1yr
• Annual mortality can range from 70-95%
• Greater than 60% mortality can occur in chicks less than 20 days old
Longevity & Survival
• Direct factors– Habitat fragmentation, nativeintroduced pastures,
poor grazing management, ag cultivation, and predation (fire ants, coyotes, avian, other mammals)
• Indirect factors– Temperature and precipitation
• Weather– Drought, hurricanes, flooding, etc..
• Disease– Eye worms, virus, bacteria, etc..
• Human harvest (additive)
Predation and Mortality Factors
• Varies from 10-80 acres
• Core area ~ 20 acres
• Most quail live a 1/2 mile or less from where they were hatched
• Densities•1 bird/acre in good years•1 bird/7-10 acres during poor years
Home Range Size
Key Components for Quail Management
Food Plots and Supplemental Feeding
Watering Devices and
Spacing
Brush Management
Arrangement and
quality
Quail “Cover Types”Screening cover
Nesting cover
Escape cover
Loafing cover
Travel cover
Roosting cover
Ground Layer: bird’s point of view
Good -- mixture of low & tall plants; good screening & travelcover + bare ground.
Bad -- heavy litter; poor traveland feeding cover -- very little bare ground.
Ugly -- poor overhead screening cover -- very little bare ground.
From Guthery 1986: Beef, Brush & Bobwhites.
Nesting Cover – “Bunchgrasses”
Buffelgrass
Red grama Pinhole bluestem
Little bluestem
Nesting Cover – “Prickly Pear”
Nesting Cover Recommendations
• Target = ~ 400 suitable nest clumps/acre– Suitable nesting sites
• bunch grasses; size of a basketball
• prickly pear; size of a hula hoop
Poor Nesting Cover
Fair Nesting Cover
Good Nesting Cover
Loafing Cover
Lotebush
Little Leaf Sumac
Wild Plum
Open at the baseClosed canopy
Wild Grape
Loafing Cover Examples
• Fence rows• Windbreaks• Corners
Escape Cover:Thinking from a predator’s point of view
• Strive for good distribution– A soft ball’s throw to nearest cover
• 5% - 25% brushy cover
ManagingLoafing and Escape Cover
5% 15% 25%
ManagingLoafing and Escape Cover
Prescribed Burning
Half-cutting Mesquite• Chose mesquite trees
with 6 – 10 stems• Each about 1.5 inches in
diameter• Pull the limbs downward
and cut ~ halfway through
• Wagon wheel appearance• Treat 5 – 10 mesquites in
an area the size of a tennis court
• Move ~ 200 yds away and repeat the process
Brush Shelters• Useful in areas with less than 5% brush • Place in pairs or triplets• Consider linking loafing cover and foraging
areas• Sets should be placed
~75 yds apart• Maintenance of
shelters should be done~ 2 each year
• Ecological trap??
Key Components for Quail Management
Food Plots and Supplemental Feeding
Watering Devices and
Spacing
Brush Management
Arrangement and
quality
FoodQuail utilize seeds from over 250 plants
For plant and seed identification see TEXNAT web-site
Cultivated Food Plots
MilletsSesamePartridge PeaSorghumBundleflower
Strive for good distribution
“Natural” Food Plots – Fallow Strips
Disk Shredder
Drag an 8 foot wide disc for a mile and you’ve only disturbed an acre
8’ x 5,280’ is approx 42,240 square feet…..Or approximately 1 acre
Quail Feeders
Feeder Considerations• Weak links may negate benefits from feeders• Determine if food in a limiting factor
Feeder Considerations• Aflatoxin a bi-product of the fungus Aspergillus • Carcinogen, liver damage, reduced vigor and
reproductive output• 50 ppb allowed in wildlife feed• 20 ppb may be more appropriate
Feeder Recommendations• Feeders should be place at ~ 1/50 acres
• Feed should be kept as dry as possible
• Feeders should be elevated 2-4 inches above the ground
• Feeder holes ~ the size of 00 buckshot will work
Key Components for Quail Management
Food Plots and Supplemental Feeding
Watering Devices and
Spacing
Brush Management
Arrangement and
quality
Water for Quail
TPW
TPW TPW
Water Recommendations• Worth your efforts in areas with less than 25
inches of rainfall/year
• Place no more than 1 water site/100 acres
• Make water available at ground level
• Shallow depth
• Escape cover should be close
Who is the Benefactor?
Usable Space
• Diversity is essential
What’s good for quail is good for many other species
• Deer• Black-capped vireo• Cattle
– Grazing can be a compatible practice!• Other grassland bird species…..
Exotic SitesRestored Sites
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Num
ber o
f Nes
ts
Number of Nests Found in Each Site Type
There were 37.5% more nests discovered in the restored sites than the exotic sites
Exotic SitesRestored Sites
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Nes
t Hei
ght (
cm)
6
13
Dickcissel Nest HeightNest height of Dickcissels was 56% greater in restored than in exotic sites
Exotic SitesRestored Sites
200
150
100
50
0
Nes
t Sus
btra
te H
eigh
t (cm
)
2
Dickcissel Nest Substrate Height
Average nest substrate height of Dickcissels in restored sites was 71% greater when compared to exotic sites
Web Resources
• http://wildlife.tamu.edu/quail/northern-bobwhites/
Extension Publication