Bird Album
Northern Bobwhite
Colinus virginianus (Linnaeus, 1758)
172 gWeight
Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Mexico, Canada
Where and when it's recorded
Northern Bobwhite has been recorded at 332 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Bombay Hook National Wildlife RefugeUnited States3,880 records
- Babcock-Webb WMAUnited States2,219 records
- Falcon State Park—SE portion (Starr Co.)United States2,046 records
More places
- Lake Apopka North Shore – Orange County sectionUnited States1,790 records
- Laguna Atascosa NWRUnited States1,690 records
- King Ranch – Norias DivisionUnited States1,650 records
- Warbler Woods Bird SanctuaryUnited States1,574 records
- Seven Islands State Birding ParkUnited States1,565 records
- Santa Margarita Ranch (LTC 079)United States1,022 records
- Eagle Bluffs CAUnited States1,022 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), also known as the Virginia quail or (in its home range) bobwhite quail, is a ground-dwelling bird native to Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Cuba, with introduced populations elsewhere in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of the group of species known as New World quail (Odontophoridae). They were initially placed with the Old World quail in the pheasant family (Phasianidae), but are not particularly closely related.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Northern Bobwhite?
The Northern Bobwhite weighs around 172 g.
Where does the Northern Bobwhite live?
Its breeding range: North America, Middle America: east-central, southeastern USA and eastern Mexico. It is most often recorded in United States, Mexico and Canada.
When is the best time to see the Northern Bobwhite?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Northern Bobwhite endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Northern Bobwhite as Near Threatened.
What does the Northern Bobwhite eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Northern Bobwhite in?
It belongs to the family New World Quail (Odontophoridae), order Galliformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 172 g
- Habitat
- Towns & farmland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Near Threatened
More measurements
- Wing
- 110 mm
- Tail
- 57 mm
- Bill
- 15 mm
- Tarsus
- 30 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Middle America: east-central, southeastern USA and eastern Mexico
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- New World Quail Odontophoridae
- Genus
- Colinus
Other birds in the genus Colinus
Yucatan BobwhiteColinus nigrogularis
Spot-bellied BobwhiteColinus leucopogon
Crested BobwhiteColinus cristatus
Stone PartridgePtilopachus petrosus
Nahan's PartridgePtilopachus nahani
Buffy-crowned Wood PartridgeDendrortyx leucophrys
Long-tailed Wood PartridgeDendrortyx macroura
Bearded Wood PartridgeDendrortyx barbatus
Mountain QuailOreortyx pictus
Scaled QuailCallipepla squamata
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Andrej Chudý. ↗
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