From Bobwhite Coveys to Pairs

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From Bobwhite Coveys to Pairs

Written by Conor Gearin

This is BirdNote. 

    [Northern Bobwhite covey call]
    [Winter Ambience]

Throughout winter, Northern Bobwhites gather in groups called ‘coveys’ to search for food during the day and share warmth at night. These small quail arrange themselves in a circle, with their tails in the center and heads outward, huddled up like a wreath of plump birds to survive frost and snow. 
    
    [Winter Ambience Ends]
[Northern Bobwhite whistle] 

But as spring arrives, the coveys disband and bobwhites seek out mates. Males whistle from shrubs and tufts of grass, hoping to catch the attention of a female. 

[Northern Bobwhite whistle] 

A bobwhite pair’s first brood of young can come surprisingly early in the year, in April or May. The chicks hatch nearly ready to take care of themselves, but they need some help finding good places for food. For two weeks the parents lead as many as 28 chicks around, scratching in bare ground and leaf litter for insects and other arthropods to eat. 

    [Northern Bobwhite female calls]

Bobwhites are themselves hunted by many other species, so they produce many offspring each year. A pair may have two or three broods of young, and each brood can contain over two dozen eggs. 

    [Northern Bobwhite covey call]

Once winter returns, the bobwhites again join tight-knit coveys of around ten birds, preparing to brave the winter.

For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.

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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Northern Bobwhite ML 2596 recorded by Elsa G. Allen, and Northern Bobwhite ML 105430 Geoffrey A. Keller.
Northern Bobwhite Xeno Canto 109880 recorded by Andrew Spencer.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2023 BirdNote      April 2023      Narrator: Michael Stein

ID# NOBO-02-2023-04-05        NOBO-02

References: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/norbob/cur/introduction
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240444887_Optimal_group_size_i…