Bobwhite are small quail with rounded bodies, small heads, rounded wings, and short tails.
The Four Keys to ID
- Size & Shape
Measurements
- Both Sexes
- Color Pattern
- Behavior
- Habitat
Regional Differences
Male Northern Bobwhite vary considerably, but females look similar across their range. Males in the Southeast have more extensive black on the throat and breast than birds elsewhere. Great Plains and Texas birds are grayer on the back. Eastern birds have rufous across the breast. An isolated and endangered Southwestern population, called the “Masked” Bobwhite, is nearly all black on the head and rufous on the breast. Females are not as variable and look very similar across their range. There are also extremely rare rufous adults that are almost entirely reddish brown.