Thursday, November 17, 2016

Texas Quail Index 2016 Part 1: Spring Call Count Results

By Amanda Gobeli, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Associate

 By all accounts, 2016 appears to be another “boom year” for quail, with enthusiasts across Texas and neighboring states celebrating the return of the birds, enjoying favorable hunting prospects, and even declaring the quail decline to be over. Anecdotes of brood sightings and more coveys are encouraging, but what do the data say about how quail numbers this year compare to last year’s boom? More importantly, is the drought truly over and can we safely attribute the quail decline to a simple lack of rain?

Since 2014, the Texas Quail Index (TQI) has enlisted cooperators in counties throughout Texas to collect data on quail populations and resources while educating local communities about the plight of these iconic game birds. Quail have been declining since the 1970s, with proposed explanations ranging from habitat loss to parasites. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) data, 2014 and the years preceding it saw some of the lowest populations on record since 1978. Timely rain in 2015 appeared to initiate a comeback for quail, a fact which is supported by that year’s TQI results. With the 2016 data analyzed, we can now see how a second year of well-timed precipitation has impacted populations.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 2016 roadside count data for the Rolling Plains
illustrates the population spike observed this year and last.
The Texas Quail Index consists of 5 demonstrations for evaluating factors that affect quail trends in Texas: (1) spring call counts estimate breeding capital, (2) roadside counts measure quail abundance post breeding season, (3) dummy nests indicate how predators are impacting reproductive efforts, (4) game cameras are used to see what types of predators are present on a property, and (5) habitat evaluations reflect the abundance and distribution of quail resources in the environment. Each represents an important variable in the “quail equation.”

Volunteers prepare to conduct a TQI demonstration. Photo courtesy of
Bosque County.
Spring call counts (April – June) can be conducted for both bobwhite and scaled quail and involve recording the number of roosters heard during a 5 minute period in the early morning hours. Call counts are an “index of abundance”—they cannot measure the total number of quail in an area but provide a trend over time, allowing for rough comparisons between areas and across years. In 2016, the statewide average for bobwhite roosters heard per stop was 3.2—significantly higher than the average in 2014 (2.5), but lower than the 2015 value (4.2). The ecoregions with the highest bobwhite densities were the Rolling Plains (average of 6.2) and the South Texas Plains (average of 3.4). Individual counties varied widely from 0 to just over 8 birds per stop. Of the 12 contributors with 2015 data to compare to, 6 experienced a decrease (ranging from 0.04 to 3.83) and 6 experienced an increase (ranging from 0.5 to 2.92) in 2016—the direction of the change was likely dependent on land use and regional differences in precipitation. Data from specific properties can serve as a point of comparison. On the TPWD’s Yoakum Dunes Wildlife Management Area (High Plains ecoregion), this year’s average was 6.6 birds per stop, and the average on the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch (Rolling Plains ecoregion) was just over 7.

A graph of spring call count results for the TQI, showing the average number of roosters heard per
stop in each county. Participants conduct counts at 8 "male markers" 3 times per year.
Scaled (blue) quail exhibited overall lower call count averages in the TQI but have seen a significant increase. The 2014 value for average roosters heard per stop was 0.30 in 2014, a slightly higher 0.56 in 2015, and 2.63 in 2016. The top ecoregions for scaled quail this year were the High Plains (average of 3.8) and the Edwards Plateau (average of 2.3).

In interpreting these data, it is safe to say that quail populations in most parts of the state were in great shape at the start of the breeding season this year. Ample rainfall in early spring would have prompted the growth of bunch grasses and forbs to facilitate breeding and brood rearing activities. Texas Quail Index averages typically fall below those of the TPWD and Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch. One possible explanation for this is that TQI properties vary in size and management goals while the WMAs are managed specifically with wildlife in mind, and the Research Ranch focuses on quail in particular. However, Quail Index results did indicate a decrease in average roosters per stop between 2015 and 2016. This may mean that carryover through the winter was subpar in 2015, but more likely it reflects either changes in cooperator makeup or altered land management plans in response to the favorable 2015 conditions. For example, decisions to introduce or increase grazing activity on land parcels which were previously left alone may positively or negatively impact quail populations (Hernández and Guthery 2012).

There was no shortage of rain in Texas in early spring of 2016. Some parts of the state arguably could 
have done with a bit less.
Perhaps the most important factor in this year’s call count decrease is that some regions experienced too much rain. Nowhere was this more evident than in the Gulf Prairies and Marshes in the eastern part of the state. Bobwhite populations in this region spiked in 2015, but took a nosedive this year. TQI cooperators from the area reported flooding which made data collection difficult to impossible or rendered call counts abnormally low. Weather can also affect call counts in less dramatic ways, as rain and wind can suppress calls or make them hard to hear (Rollins et al. 2005). In areas not subjected to flooding, where habitat quality benefited from the increased moisture, call counts typically remained high.

Spring call counts were generally promising, but they are not the only benchmark for evaluating quail in Texas. During the summer months, TQI cooperators set out dummy nests and game cameras while conducting habitat surveys. The results of these demonstrations will be covered in Part 2.

For more information, check out these resources:



Literature Cited

  1. Gill, J. 2016. Quail populations on the rebound. Standard-Times. <http://www.gosanangelo.com/sports/outdoors/hunting/quail-populations-on-the-rebound-38135703-3e2f-4558-e053-0100007f1ecf-389512891.html>. Accessed 11 Nov 2016.
  2. Hernández, F., and F. S. Guthery. 2012. Beef, brush, and bobwhites: quail management in cattle country. 1st ed., Texas A&M University Press ed. Perspectives on south Texas, Texas A&M University Press, College Station.
  3. Hershberger, A. 2016. Opening weekend proves to be worth the wait. JournalStar.com. <http://journalstar.com/sports/local/outdoors/opening-weekend-proves-to-be-worth-the-wait/article_10502d5a-0276-5e3d-b75d-0275f97b0574.html>. Accessed 11 Nov 2016.
  4. NOAA, and NWS. n.d. Monthly Observed Precipitation for the State of Texas. <http://water.weather.gov>. Accessed 11 Nov 2016.
  5. Rollins, D., J. Brooks, N. Wilkins, D. Ransom, and others. 2005. Counting quail. Texas FARMER Collection. <http://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/87340>. Accessed 11 Nov 2016.
  6. Rollins, D., and B. Ruzicka. 2015. Texas Quail Index: Team Handbook. Texas A & M University Press. <http://wildlife.tamu.edu/files/2013/12/TQI_handbook.pdf>. Accessed 11 Nov 2016.
  7. Tompkins, S. 2016. Texas’ quail population drought is over. Houston Chronicle. <http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/outdoors/article/Texas-quail-population-drought-is-over-10415971.php>. Accessed 11 Nov 2016.
  8. TPWD: Bobwhite and Scaled Quail in the Rolling Plains. 2016. <http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/planning/quail_forecast/forecast/rolling_plains/>. Accessed 11 Nov 2016.


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