BirdAnalyst
Species · BCR 22 · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Northern Bobwhite In Eastern Tallgrass Prairie

All regionsEastern Tallgrass PrairieGrassland birds

Northern Bobwhite in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie has fallen sharply: down 75% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

-75%Since 1968
263Routes In Region
58Years

Notable Signals

long arc declinecomputed index

Northern Bobwhite has fallen sharply in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: down 75% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

Forecast

If the recent trend holds, Northern Bobwhite in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie is projected to fall about 67% by 2029 — from 8.1 in 2024 to a central estimate of 2.7 (95% range 0.00–11). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±32.9%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

-67%Change by 2029
2.7Projected 2029 index
0.00–1195% range
±32.9%Backtest error
19662029
Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.
YearProjected index95% low95% high
20254.80.0013
20264.20.0013
20273.70.0012
20283.20.0012
20292.70.0011

Routes In Eastern Tallgrass Prairie

Routes recording Northern Bobwhite in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie.
BedfordIOWA792018
WalesIOWA792018
ElmoMISSOURI792023
ThrallKANSAS761970
MurdockNEBRASKA712024
BolckowMISSOURI651992
HamiltonMISSOURI621985
College Spgs 2IOWA512023
Sni MillsMISSOURI511990
StetMISSOURI511995
BarclayKANSAS492024
WatsonMISSOURI492024
WarrenMISSOURI481984
HumboldtNEBRASKA462024
NorborneMISSOURI352023
College SpgsIOWA342004
WrefordKANSAS342024
ReeceKANSAS332024
EmdenMISSOURI322024
GreenviewILLINOIS312024
HarveysburgOHIO311996
AthensvilleILLINOIS302024
BelleviewILLINOIS302024
HumboldtKANSAS302022
Gretna 2NEBRASKA302024

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.