QUAIL Struggle to Survive a Multitude of KILLERS

By some estimates, the wild bobwhite population in the U.S. has declined 70 to 80% since the 1960s

- John N. Felsher

Though many factors have contributed to this plunge, the biggest threat to quail might be the one that just moseyed out your door and into your yard.

Practically every carnivore will eat quail if given an opportunity. Ground nesting makes quail and their young especially vulnerable to predation from terrestrial predators like bobcats, foxes and coyotes. Particularly adept at catching quail, bobcats and foxes sometimes snatch quail from the air. However, quail also face serious threats from other creatures not normally considered major predators. Nest raiders destroy huge quantities of eggs and eat every chick they can grab.

“Anything that can eat a quail or its eggs will do it,” confirmed Steven Mitchell, an Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources biologist. “We’ve actually caught white-tailed deer on camera eating quail eggs. Armadillos moved up the list as major predators of quail eggs along with opossums.”

Armadillos, opossums and feral hogs root around in the ground looking for anything they can eat and won’t hesitate to slurp some eggs. Other nest raiders include skunks, snakes – particularly corn snakes – domestic dogs, rats, mice, fire ants and crows.

“Quail face many threats from predators throughout the year,” advised Dr. Brad Kubecka, director of the Piney Woods Quail Program for the Tall Timbers research organization based in Tallahassee, Florida. “At Tall Timbers, we’ve even documented bullfrogs eating quail chicks. A quail hen will fight off an armadillo and even a small snake and resume incubation, but with larger snakes, she might abandon the nest. During November and February when raptors are migrating, we usually see an uptick in predation from avian predators.”