Ongoing Bobwhite declines

Ph. by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

 The Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) continues its population decline across its geographic range. 

 "In 2007, the National Audubon Society (BirdLife in the US) published the results of the first-ever analysis of combined annual sighting data from the two major censuses of bird populations in North America—the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) and the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) (Butcher and Niven 2007, Butcher 2007). The analysis highlighted the plight of 20 common bird species, all of which have lost over half of their continental population since 1967. Common birds are defined here as species with a global population of over 500,000 and with a range of one million square kilometres or more."

 "Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus has declined the most dramatically, with population reductions of 82% occurring over the past 40 years. Consequently this species has been uplisted from the Least Concern category to Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List (BirdLife International 2008)." 

  http://datazone.birdlife.org/sowb/casestudy/common-birds-are-declining-in-north-america

There are many regional and state-level bobwhite conservation initiatives:

 National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative: https://bringbackbobwhites.org/

 "Wildlife biologists know more about the biology, life history, habitat requirements, and management of the northern bobwhite quail than probably any other species in North America. Yet bobwhites, and the suite of wildlife that claims the same habitat, have been declining virtually range-wide for at least 40 years, approaching extirpation in some regions and states."