A Rare Bird
A male Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), in a maple tree on Distant Hill in Walpole, New Hampshire. The Northern Bobwhite is a resident throughout eastern North America, from southern Mexico and western Guatemala through the United States to extreme southern Canada. Southern New Hampshire is at the northern-most geographic range of this bird in New England.
In Long Island, New York, students and teachers are helping biologist Eric Powers with an initiative named 'The Bobwhite Quail Project'. He feels that ground feeding birds are a missing link in the fight against ticks and lyme disease. They have been raising Bobwhite chick and releasing them into the local parks, with a noticeable reduction in the tick population.
Here is a very short video gives a hint of why this bird is named a "BOB-White".
Bobwhite...A Near Threatened Species
Bobwhites are classified as 'Near Threatened' by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ because of loss of habitat and over hunting. They are found in early successional vegetation in a variety of habitats, often created by disturbances from fire, agriculture and timber-harvesting. Maintaining tree canopy cover at less than 50% to develop open, parklike conditions is essential. It has been estimated that over 20,000,000 individuals are being killed annually by hunters in the United States.
