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Work improves understanding of how landscape diversity impacts bobwhites

A study in Kansas is examining what factors have allowed bobwhite quail to thrive on the state’s agricultural landscapes. The study was initiated by Jeff Prendergast, upland gamebird program coordinator with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) and Dr. James Martin with the University of Georgia. It was made possible by KDWP through Pittman-Robertson funds, as well as matching funds from the University of Georgia.   

While neighboring states have less than 1% of their original prairies left, Kansas still has 40% of its native prairies intact. The state also has a high participation rate in habitat programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which has helped them maintain stable quail populations. This allows wildlife managers and landowners in Kansas to take a more proactive approach in maintaining quail based on the type of data this study is collecting.  

“Basically, the project is trying to improve our understanding of how landscape composition, specifically the size of crop fields and landscape diversity impacts bobwhite and how they are managed,” said Sarah Jacobson, a PhD student who is helping to run the study with the University of Georgia.

Creating quail friendly habitat might seem simple at first, but creating conditions for long term survival doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all solution.  

“When creating bobwhite habitat, there’s a need to consider production agriculture,” said Dr. Martin with the University of Georgia. “This becomes infinitely more complex when a large portion of the landscape is needed to produce food or forage. This project aims to figure out the thresholds of habitat needed, how that habitat is distributed, and how the intensity of agriculture mediates the relationships between habitat and bobwhite.”   

Prendergast, when asked how this study differs from previous quail research in the state, stressed the need for new information as the state’s land use is evolving. 

“There is a practice for every place and a place for every practice,” he said. “In northeast Kansas where there’s intensive agriculture, we're losing some of that habitat. So when working there we need to figure out what is the most beneficial practice in that situation.” 

Both Prendergast and Jacobson said by studying four distinct regions of Kansas, the study can provide more efficient, region-specific guidance to help bobwhite quail thrive.   

The study is conducted at various sites throughout the state. Mayson Metcalf, a Working Lands for Wildlife bobwhite/grassland birds outcomes assessment tech for Quail Forever, helps conduct research in Jackson County. There, quail are live trapped and fitted with radio collars. Metcalf then conducts surveys using a receiver and antenna to locate collared quail and make notes about what areas and types of cover throughout the property they are most frequently using. This work is accompanied by point count surveys, which listen for and record the number of bobwhite whistles during peak times of vocalization.   

 
The information gathered from the tracking and point count surveys will be combined with remote sensing products (such as USDA’s Cropland Data Layer) and satellite imagery to model bobwhite resource selection and survival throughout their annual cycle. It will also model their reproductive success and abundance in relation to land cover and agricultural practices across the four regions. This will lead to the development of a decision support tool that will help guide conservation across the state.

The three-year study is currently in its second year. To learn more about what Quail Forever is doing for bobwhites in Kansas, contact a Quail Forever Biologist.