Northern Bobwhite

quail · bird call · ground-dwelling · North America

Where it lives. The northern bobwhite makes its home on the ground in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Cuba, and other Caribbean islands, as well as in parts of Europe and Asia where people have brought them.

Calls its own name. The word 'bobwhite' comes directly from the bird's loud, clear whistle that sounds exactly like someone saying 'bob-white.' This distinctive call is one of the easiest ways to spot this secretive little bird.

Hidden in the grass. Even though northern bobwhites are shy and hard to see, they're one of the most familiar quails in eastern North America because they're often the only quail living in that region.

Vanishing fast. Between 1966 and 2014, the northern bobwhite population in eastern North America dropped by about 85%, mostly because their natural habitats have been damaged and destroyed.

Not quite a pheasant. Scientists once thought bobwhites were related to Old World quail and pheasants, but they actually belong to a separate family called New World quail that evolved differently.