Quails, a Declining Species Here and Elsewhere

By Dave Freeland

A couple of weeks back, I heard a Northern Bobwhite, which many people know simply as "quail," calling its name at Viera Wetlands. Its beautiful, clear voice reminded me how seldom we hear quail in our part of Central Florida any more. Northern Bobwhite is a declining species through most, if not all, of its range, which includes the eastern and central states and parts of the Pacific Northwest, though it is also found through Mexico into Guatemala. There is also a subspecies on Cuba. It is one of six species of quail in the U.S. There are 31 species in the world, all in the Western Hemisphere.

It is a species in decline because its favored habitat is being turned to agriculture and, in the case of Viera, housing developments. Though it's a popular (and tasty!) game bird, hunting is probably not a major element in its reducing population. When my family moved to Brevard County in 2003, Northern Bobwhites could be heard calling, and occasionally seen, all around Viera Wetlands. Now, with the burgeoning West Viera development unfolding along Wickham Road, the brushy habitat is rapidly disappearing, and so are the quail. Northern Bobwhites can still be heard calling most spring mornings in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The entrance to Peacock's Pocket, not far east of the visitors center, is a good spot. They are also common in the Apopka restoration area. There are pockets of continuing Northern Bobwhite activity elsewhere in Central Florida, but many of those areas are threatened.

Last December, while conducting the Merritt Island Christmas Bird Count, I was driving north on Route 3 late in the afternoon when we passed what I thought was a small group of Mourning Doves at the side of the road. They flushed as my car sped past and turned out to be a covey of quail. One struck the side of my car with a loud thud. My friend, Lisa Graham, in a trailing car, saw the interaction and stopped to check. "It was dead," she grimly reported after we arrived at our next stop. So quails are in danger from passing vehicles, too, it seems.

I like Northern Bobwhites, better in the field than on the dinner plate. I wish they could recover their former range, but I'm afraid mankind has other plans for its preferred brushy habitat. That's too bad.

Where to Go: It's spring and migrants are flooding our area on nice mornings following the arrival of warm southeast winds. Try the boardwalk at Lori Wilson Park, Cocoa Beach, and see if you can spot the warblers before Phyllis Mansfield does! (Warning: Phyllis is pretty good at spotting warblers there!)

Bird of the Month: Swainson's Hawk. An immature bird with diagnostic flight characteristics of a shallow, Turkey Vulture-like dihedral, was seen well at Merritt Island NWR at least twice in late winter. It's always a good bird here, more frequently seen in South Florida in winter than up our way.

Your Question: I posted Monday from Viera and forgot to post that I saw one Purple Martin. Did you happen to see any today (March 12)? I don't have an annotated Florida guide, so what's the earliest that they show up?

A: I didn't see a single swallow at Viera yesterday. But Purple Martins actually begin to reappear in mid-January in Florida.

Forward your birding question to me at freela148@aol.com. I'll answer as many as I can directly and will publish one each month in The Limpkin.