NORTHERN BOBWHITE CONSERVATION INITIATIVE

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NORTHERN BOBWHITE CONSERVATION INITIATIVE A PLAN
FOR THE RECOVERY OF THE NORTHERN
BOBWHITE Southeast Quail Study Group Technical
Committee March 2002
BACKGROUND
STATUS OF THE NORTHERN BOBWHITE U.S. BREEDING
POPULATION 1980 19,619,000 BIRDS 1999
6,714,000 BIRDS DECLINE OF 65.8 ANNUAL RATE OF
DECLINE 3.8 1982-99
The Goal of the Northern Bobwhite Conservation
Initiative (NBCI) is to restore bobwhite
populations to 1980 densities on remaining
habitats. If implemented immediately the plan
should stabilize populations in 5-10 years and
achieve the restoration goal in 20-25 years.
Figure 1. Bobwhite population trends mirror
declining trends in 18-20 species of songbirds
that inhabit grass-shrub plant communities.
OVERVIEW
The NBCI was prepared by the Southeast Quail
Study Group Technical Committee at the request of
the Directors of the Southeastern Association of
Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The charge issued to
the committee was to develop a quantitative
habitat-oriented plan to restore bobwhites to the
density they enjoyed during the baseline year
1980. The NBCI is organized to delineate
population and habitat objectives for 15 Bird
Conservation Regions that comprise that portion
of the bobwhite's range incorporated in the plan.
This approach was selected to facilitate
coordination and cooperation with other bird
management plans, e.g., Partners in Flight. The
NBCI also includes three chapters detailing
specific management practices to be employed on
agricultural land, grasslands, and forests, and
one chapter outlining the approaches to be taken
to implement the plan.
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Figure 2. 15 Bird Conservation Regions are
addressed in the NBCI.
SOUTHEASTERN COASTAL PLAIN BCR EXAMPLE
Recommendations from the NBCI for the restoration
of 859,378 coveys in the Southeast Coastal Plain
Bird Conservation Region illustrates conservation
needs and goals shared by diverse conservation
efforts. l. Convert 941,000 acres of cool-season
grasses currently in the CRP to native warm
season grasses/forbs. (235,253 coveys or 27.4
of the total needed). 2. Apply appropriate site
preparation techniques, burning and/or thinning,
to the 1,534,300 acres of CRP lands planted to
pines. (4,602 coveys or 0.5 of the total
needed). 3. Apply appropriate site preparation
techniques, burning and thinning to the
29,613,000 acres of pinelands in BCR 27. (88,839
coveys or 10.3 of the total needed). 4. Add to
the improvable acres of the agricultural land
base 2,122,736 acres of native warm season
grasses (41.5 acres of nwsg per square mile).
This can be achieved through replacement of row
crop acreage, and by conversion of cool season
hay and/or pasture. (530,684 coveys or 61.8 of
the total needed).
CONSERVATION NEEDS
Restoring northern bobwhites to their desired
density will require the addition of 2,805,765
coveys to the current population. Achieving this
population will necessitate impacting the habitat
on 81.7 million acres of farm, forest, and range
land. However, the recommended land management
practices would change the primary land use on
only 6.2 of this acreage.
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More than 81 of the needed coveys will be
produced on farm land (crops, pasture/hay, CRP).
A highly significant point is that conversion of
exotic cool season grasses on existing CRP acres
should produce 20.6 of all coveys needed.
Altering forest management practices to encourage
habitat favorable to bobwhites should yield
143,447 coveys. Important practices include site
preparation to encourage favorable grass and forb
communities, prescribed fire, thinning to
encourage light penetration, and where
ecologically sound, increase acreage of longleaf
pine.
Improving range management practices beneficial
to bobwhites in the western and southern parts of
their range should add 385,904 coveys on 7.5
million acres. These practices, i.e., prescribed
fire, proper grazing densities, replacing exotics
with native grasses and forbs, will also enhance
the range productivity for livestock and improve
ranch income.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
http//seqsg.qu.org/seqsg/index.cfm
Bobwhite and songbird data were obtained from the
Breeding Bird Survey (USFWS). Bobwhite harvest
statistics were obtained from state wildlife
agency records. Habitat and land use data were
obtained from the USDA NRCS National Resources
Inventory 1982 and 1997. Assumptions used to
calculate population responses are contained in
the NBCI Plan.