By Amanda Gobeli, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Associate
The
last demonstration for the Texas Quail Index, conducted during the month of
September, is a series of 3 roadside counts which serve as a direct indicator
of quail population densities. While spring call counts gauge relative
abundance based on rooster vocalizations, roadside counts require visual
confirmation. Cooperators drive a 10-20 mile route during the two hours after
sunrise or before sunset while counting pairs, coveys, and individual quail (Rollins et al. 2005). When combined with data from Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department roadside counts, covey call counts, and hunter
harvest surveys, these fall metrics can tell us how quail fared during the
breeding season and how many juveniles survived to become part of the
population (i.e., “fall recruitment”).
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In September, TQI cooperators drive along ranch roads and
count the quail they see.
Photo courtesy of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
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Among all TQI cooperators statewide, the
average number of northern bobwhite seen per mile was 5.1. This value is
identical to last year’s roadside count average and is also significantly
greater than the 2014 value of 2.0. The Rolling Plains ecoregion continues to
be a hotspot for bobwhites with the highest regional densities and an average
of just over 8 quail seen per mile. For scaled (blue) quail, the statewide
average this year was 1.3 birds counted per mile—nearly double the 2015 average
of 0.7, and more than four times the 2014 average of 0.3. The Edwards Plateau ecoregion
had the highest scaled quail roadside numbers with an average of 2.2. For both
species, numbers in individual counties widely varied. Several reported seeing
zero or very few birds while driving the routes this year, despite seeing and hearing
quail at other times. While some counts may not have accurately reflected quail
densities on individual properties, the statewide picture suggests that 2016
has been an excellent year for quail in Texas.
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Roadside count results for TQI cooperating counties in 2016. Error bars represent standard error of the mean.
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Data
from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) roadside counts support
that conclusion, though they also show that quail densities varied considerably
among regions. The TPWD average for bobwhites in the Rolling Plains this year was more than 50 birds per
20 mile route—a new record and more than twice as high as the long term mean
for the region (20.9) which is based on data collected since 1978. Scaled quail
are also up in the Rolling Plains with an average of 3.9 this year versus 3.1
in 2015. By contrast, bobwhites in the South Texas Plains were down slightly this year (14.0
birds per route versus 20.6 in 2015). The region’s scaled quail average
increased (to 2.6 from last year’s 1.0) but both values are below the long term
average (6.8). In the Gulf Prairies and Marshes, bobwhites dropped to 3.8 birds per
route from 14.9 in 2015.
In addition to
roadside counts, TPWD officials also collect another critical type of data:
hunter harvest surveys. These are useful for determining the ratio of juveniles
to adults in a population, which indicates how productive breeding season was
that year. The ideal ratio of juveniles to adults varies based on the region
and precise time of year, but it is always desirable for the younger birds to
outnumber the older ones; in the Rolling Plains, for example, juveniles should
make up at least 70-80% of the population around the start of hunting season (Brennan 2007,
Hernández and Guthery 2012). Data from one Wildlife Management Area showed
that, between the dates of October 31 and November 6, there were 952 juvenile
birds harvested and 255 adults harvested for a J/A ratio of 3.7, suggesting
that plenty of chicks were produced this spring. Not all of them will make it
to the next breeding season, as wild populations are subject to estimated
annual mortality rates of 60% or higher (Guthery 2000), but strong fall recruitment means a larger
potential breeding pool next year.
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You can determine if a quail is an adult or juvenile by
looking at these feathers, called the primary coverts.
Juveniles have buff
spots at the end of the coverts (pictured) while adults have coverts that are
solid brown.
Photo courtesy of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch.
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Data
gathered in the fall can also help inform management decisions. If quail are abundant
in the spring but scarce by the time roadside counts are performed, it may be worth
considering what can be done to help them survive the summer months. Quail
require loafing (woody) cover to escape the heat and hide from predators, and
they need access to sufficient food resources to minimize time spent foraging (Larson 2010).
If age ratios reveal that the proportion of juveniles to adults is low,
then the quality and availability of nesting and brood rearing cover should be
examined. Additionally, if specific areas are found to be “poor performing”
with regards to quail production, then hunting or grazing pressure can be
shifted away from those areas and they can be targeted for habitat improvements
(DeMaso n.d.).
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Hunting can be a tool for quail management, as harvested
birds provide information on that year’s
breeding success. Photo courtesy of Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
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The
past two years have been encouraging for quail enthusiasts, and data from the TQI
and other sources support the notion that Texas is enjoying a “boom” in 2016.
However, this does not mean that our attention can wane. Careful management to meet the life needs of
quail is critical to their long term survival. As evidenced by the difference
between 2014 and 2015, quail populations can change dramatically in a
relatively short period of time. If conditions deteriorate again in the
future—if rain falls at the wrong time or in the wrong amounts, for example—the
boom could turn into a bust. Efforts directed toward increasing quail habitat
and resources, maximizing usable space, and monitoring abundance can grant
quail populations resilience during difficult years and allow them to take full
advantage of prosperous ones. The Texas Quail Index will continue to support
these goals.
For
more information, check out these resources:
Literature Cited
- Brennan, L. A. 2007. Texas Quails: Ecology and Management. Texas A&M University Press.
- DeMaso, S. n.d. Effects of Hunting on Quail Populations. Pages 37–43 in. Preserving Texas’ Quail Hunting Heritage into the 21st Century. Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
- Guthery, F. S. 2000. On bobwhites. 1st ed. W.L. Moody, Jr., natural history series no. 27, Texas A&M University Press, College Station.
- Hernández, F., and F. S. Guthery. 2012. Beef, Brush, and Bobwhites: Quail Management in Cattle Country. Texas A&M University Press.
- Larson, J. A., editor. 2010. Texas bobwhites: a guide to their foods and habitat management. 1st ed. Ellen and Edward Randall series, University of Texas Press, Austin, TX.
- 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 29 Nov 2016.