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Species authority page

Northern bobwhite

Colinus virginianus · Quail · Upland game birds

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus): Small, chunky quail, 20-28 cm, with a reddish-brown body and very short tail. Contrasting pale eyebrow and throat: white on the male, buff on the female. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the northern bobwhite map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: Iowa. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Northern bobwhite standing on leaf litter
Adobe Stock · Standard License (asset 846120225)
Scientific name
Colinus virginianus
Family
Odontophoridae
Range
The only native quail in eastern North America, resident from southern Eastern Canada and the Great Lakes through the eastern and central United States to Florida and Texas, and south to Guatemala. It has disappeared from much of the northern part of its range; the masked race is being reintroduced in southern Arizona.
Biology

How to identify it

Small, chunky quail, 20-28 cm, with a reddish-brown body and very short tail. [1]

Contrasting pale eyebrow and throat: white on the male, buff on the female. [1]

Male of the endangered 'masked bobwhite' race of the Southwest has a black face and rusty chest. [1]

Compared with the meadowlarks: Audubon lists meadowlarks among other chunky field birds to compare; the bobwhite has a very short tail and a bold pale eyebrow and throat. [1]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify Northern bobwhite from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Semi-open farmland and brushy country: brushy meadows, overgrown fields, roadsides and wood edges, and pastures or fields next to hedgerows or woodlots. The masked race uses ungrazed native grassland. [1]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Heard more often than seen; the whistled 'bob-white!' is a familiar spring call. [1]

Lives in coveys averaging about a dozen birds in fall and winter; coveys roost on the ground in a circle, tails in and heads out. [1]

Forages by walking with head down, eating seeds (especially legumes), leaves, buds, berries, acorns and insects. [1]

Permanent resident; does not migrate. [1]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Conservation and protection

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

The only native quail in eastern North America, resident from southern Eastern Canada and the Great Lakes through the eastern and central United States to Florida and Texas, and south to Guatemala. It has disappeared from much of the northern part of its range; the masked race is being reintroduced in southern Arizona.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30

    National Audubon Society