T. L. Sharpe

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have declined on a continental scale. One factor implicated in the decline is habitat loss through agricultural modernization. To better understand the relationship between northern bobwhite and modern farming, and to examine farm habitat improvement methods, we monitored bobwhite (N = 218) from April to September 1993 and 1994 on two study areas, western (WSA) and eastern (ESA), each divided into one filter strip (FS) (treatment) and one non-filter strip (NFS) (reference) section on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge's farming...

Crops from adult male northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) were collected May-July 1985 (N = 43) and April-June 1986 (N = 45). Woody plant, legume, and grass seeds accounted for >90% of the total crop volume in both years, but the relative proportions of seed types varied significantly (X2 = 66.38, P <0.005) between years. This was partly due to differences in plant fruiting chronology and seed availability during sample periods, as rye (Secale cereale) was unavailable to most quail collected in 1986. Rye, red bay (Persea borbonia), acorns (Quercus spp.), shrub lespedeza (Le~...