Bobcat Diet on an Area Managed for Northern Bobwhite

We quantified bobcat (Lynx rufus) diet on a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) dominated area managed for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), hereafter quail. We sorted prey items to species when possible, but for analysis we categorized them into 1 of 5 classes: rodent, bird, deer, rabbit, and other species. Bobcat diet did not differ seasonally (X2 = 17.82, P = 0.1213). Most scats (91%) contained rodent, 14% contained bird, 9% contained deer (Odocoileus virginianus), 6% contained rabbit (Sylvilagus sp.), and 12% contained other. Quail remains were detected in only 2 of 135 bobcat scats examined. Because of low occurrence of quail (approximately 1.4%) in bobcat scats we suggest that bobcats are not a serious predator of quail.