Northern Bobwhite

Northern Bobwhite, male

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Northern Bobwhite, female

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Sound
4. Range
5. Conservation Status
6. Other Names

A small chicken-like bird of the eastern United States and Mexico, the Northern Bobwhite is an important game bird. It is extensively hunted in some areas. Its loud call anounces its name.

Cool Facts

• The Northern Bobwhite is divided into 22 different subspecies. Females show little variation among the different forms, but the males can vary dramatically. Some bobwhite from Mexico have little banding across the chest, are uniformly rufous, and have all black heads

Description

• Medium-sized quail.
• Runs on ground.
• Small round head with slight crest.
• Round body with very short tail.
• Colored reddish and brown.
• Pale throat and eyestripe white in male, buff in female.

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but male with bold black-and-white face pattern, female with duller brown and buff.

Immature

Juvenile similar to female, but duller.

Sound

Call a loud, ringing "b, Bob white!" Also a clear "hoy-poo."

Range

Range Map

© 2003 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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Summer Range

Resident from Nebraska, Wisconsin, southern Ontario and Massachusetts southward to Florida and southern Mexico. Also introduced in Pacific Northwest, Caribbean (possibly native to Cuba), Hawaii, New Zealand, Europe, and China.

Conservation Status

Declining significantly in most states.

Other Names

Colin de Virginie (French)
Codorniz cotuf (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Brennan, L. A. 1999. Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). In The Birds of North America, No. 397 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.