Northern Bobwhite
Northern Bobwhite has collapsed: down 88% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Northern Bobwhite
The Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is a North American member of the New World Quail (Odontophoridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the game birds.
- Size
- 8–11 in long (20–28 cm) — a small, round game bird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Fields, brushland, prairie and the forest floor, where it forages and nests on the ground.
- Diet
- Seeds, grain, buds, leaves and insects gathered on the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 2,207 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 42 states, most concentrated in the Southeastern Coastal Plain.
- Family
- Odontophoridae · Game birds
Notable Northern Bobwhite TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →
Northern Bobwhite has collapsed in surveyed states: down 88% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Northern Bobwhite Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Northern Bobwhite is projected to fall about 100% by 2029 — from 3.0 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.00 (95% range 0.00–4.3). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±158.8%, with 20% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
Where the Northern Bobwhite Is Detected
BBS routes recording Northern Bobwhite, sized by most recent count.
Northern Bobwhite Population Trend by State
Northern Bobwhite Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
Northern Bobwhite Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 88% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.