Northern Bobwhite Non-Breeding Habitat Selection in a Longleaf Pine Woodland

Efforts to halt the decline of the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; bobwhite) across its distribution have had limited success. Understanding bobwhite habitat requirements across the annual cycle and at varying scales is essential to aid efforts to conserve bobwhites. We monitored radio-tagged bobwhites from 2016 to 2018 on a 165-km² portion of Fort Bragg Military Installation in the Sandhills physiographic region of North Carolina, USA, to determine factors influencing non-breeding bobwhite habitat selection at multiple scales. We used generalized linear models (GLM) and generalized linear mixed models to assess bobwhite habitat selection at the microsite scale (the immediate vicinity of an animal) and the macrosite scale (across the study area), respectively, by comparing used points to available random points. At the microsite scale, bobwhites strongly selected areas with greater woody understory cover. Also, bobwhite selection increased with greater forb and switchcane (Arundinaria tecta) cover, but this effect plateaued at 65% forb cover and 50% switchcane cover. At the macrosite scale, bobwhites generally selected areas with greater understory cover within a 200-m radius but avoided areas with >55% understory cover; these areas primarily were located in the core areas of drainages with extensive ericaceous vegetation. Bobwhites selected areas with 3–6 m²/ha hardwood basal area in uplands, potentially because of the availability of mast, but avoided uplands when pine (Pinus spp.) or hardwood basal area exceeded 20 m²/ha or 12 m²/ha, respectively, likely because high basal area is associated with increased shading and subsequent loss of understory cover. In addition, bobwhites selected uplands 1 growing season (≥2-month period falling entirely between 1 Apr and 1 Oct) post-fire regardless of burn season. Overall, managers seeking to improve habitat quality for bobwhites in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) woodlands should employ management practices that maintain available woody understory across the landscape to provide cover during the non-breeding season. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.     

Management Implications of Cover Selection Data: Northern Bobwhite Example

Abstract: We derived a method of estimating the direction and magnitude of cover changes for potentially maximizing wildlife abundance on an area. We illustrate the method with data on cover selection by northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) collected in the Texas Panhandle from 2000 to 2003. We used radiotelemetry to determine use of cover associations, Geographic Information System analysis to determine their availability, and logic related to use-availability analysis to collapse 95% kernel home ranges to usable space. Bobwhites selected mixed-shrub cover consisting of sand plum (Prunus angustifolia) and fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica), and they avoided or neutrally used 8 other cover associations. However, grass upland and sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia) associations occurred in ≥86% of home ranges (n = 96 bobwhites with ≥30 radiolocations). Usable space averaged 54.2% ± 1.72 SE of kernel home ranges. The data indicated that adding about 226 ha of mixed-shrub cover or a structural homologue while simultaneously reducing the quantity of most other cover associations would maximize bobwhite abundance. An area with 30–60% mixed-shrub cover, with the balance in grass upland and sand sagebrush, and with cover dispersed such that no point was >30 m from mixed-shrub cover was hypothetically optimal for bobwhites in our region. Within certain constraints (e.g., financial, social, edaphic), managers can apply this method by manipulating cover types through relevant management practices (e.g., planting, prescribed burning, mechanical removal of vegetation). This method, with minor modification, could also be used to decrease usable space on an area, and thus decrease wildlife densities, should that be the manager's objective.     

White-Tailed Deer Foraging Habitat in Intensively Established Loblolly Pine Plantations

ABSTRACT Stand establishment techniques involving multiple herbicide applications are commonly used on industrial pine (Pinus spp.) plantations, raising concern over potential effects on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) forage production. We tested effects of stand establishment intensity on deer forage in 1–5-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations (n = 4) in the East Gulf Coastal Plain of Mississippi using forage biomass and 4 measures of nutritional carrying capacity that reflected crude protein or digestible energy requirements for body maintenance and lactation. We also assessed whether forage biomass combined with a deer use rating effectively indexed nutritional carrying capacity. Treatments were combinations of mechanical site preparation, chemical site preparation (CSP), and herbaceous weed control (HWC). Total forage biomass and forage biomass of grasses and forbs were reduced by broadcast HWC. Forage biomass of vines was reduced both by CSP and by multiple broadcast HWC applications. Maintenance-level carrying capacity estimates were reduced by broadcast HWC; lactation-level estimates were higher in moderate-intensity treatments. We believe the inherently low fertility of this region makes high-quality forage production a more important management priority than increasing forage quantity. Chemical or chemical and mechanical site preparation combined with banded HWC provided the best option for providing both forage quality and quantity in open-canopied, intensively managed pine plantations. Biomass-based indices may be suitable for indexing protein-based maintenance-level carrying capacity in this region, but our results indicated they were not useful for indexing other carrying capacity estimates.     

Economics of Northern Bobwhite and Timber Management in the Southeastern United States

ABSTRACT Populations of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) have declined significantly over the past 50 years, and the primary factor contributing to this decline has been the loss of habitat. Forest landowners who are concerned with providing bobwhite habitat as well as generating revenue from timber should balance the silvicultural requirements of timber production with the biological needs of the bobwhite. The goal of this study was to determine the economic tradeoffs between bobwhite and timber management and how to minimize loss or maximize profit when managing for bobwhite and timber simultaneously. I performed discounted cash flow analyses, calculated land expectation value, and determined the financially optimal rotation age and optimal timing and intensity of thinnings for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations under specific management objectives. My results show that the annual per-hectare economic gains of managing for both bobwhite and timber ranged from US$19.27 to $41.37 on site index 50 land, and ranged from $32.63 to $50.02 on site index 90 land. My analysis indicates that bobwhite management provides an investment opportunity to landowners whose low-productivity sites would be unprofitable if timber is the only product. My study provides an example of integrating multiple uses of goods and services in a way that maximizes economic returns and aids land managers in producing better habitat for bobwhite.     

Habitat Quality Following Mid-Rotation Treatment in Conservation Reserve Program Pines

ABSTRACT Evaluation of habitat management practices at mid-rotation is needed for pine (Pinus spp.) plantations enrolled in cost-share programs. Plantations established in abandoned agricultural fields may have different understory plant communities than those with a long history of forest cover. Mid-rotation pine plantations often have a hardwood midstory that limits development of early succession habitat components important to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; deer) and northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; bobwhite). We treated with imazapyr herbicide and prescribed burning (HB) 11 thinned, 13–22-year-old pine plantations in the Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain of Mississippi, USA, enrolled in cost-share programs, and we sampled plant community response during the summers of 2003 and 2004, years 1 and 2 posttreatment. The HB treatment created a more open structure with greater coverage of debris and herbaceous plants than in controls. Increased forb coverage in HB plots yielded a more seasonally diverse foraging base for deer. Horizontal screening cover developed slowly in HB plots and was more abundant in control plots. Autumn and winter food-plant coverage for bobwhite was provided by either treatment, but accessibility was improved in HB plots relative to controls. Bobwhite nesting cover was improved by HB relative to controls but was still of marginal quality. Brood-rearing habitat was precluded in both treatments due to lack of bare ground. Our results indicate that imazapyr followed by prescribed fire is a beneficial tool for creating early succession habitat for deer and bobwhite in mid-rotation pine plantations with a history of agricultural use. Continued management with periodic prescribed fire and overstory thinning should be instituted to maintain and perhaps improve these conditions.     

Effects of Tissue Collection Methods on Morphometrics and Survival of Captive Neonatal Northern Bobwhite

ABSTRACT We assessed effects of tissue collection methods (i.e., patagial microbiopsy and down feathers) and chick age at sampling on morphometrics and 21-day survival of 600 captive neonatal northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). We observed minimal effects on morphometrics and no difference in survival among patagial microbiopsy (x̄ = 0.96 ± 0.03), down feathers (x̄ = 0.92 ± 0.04), and control (x̄ = 0.86 ± 0.05) methods. DNA analysis from patagial microbiopsy, down feather, and egg tooth samples showed greater concentrations of DNA from patagial microbiopsy (x̄ = 10.28 ± 1.74 μg/ml) than either down feather (x̄ = 4.10 ± 1.74 μg/ml) or egg teeth (x̄ = 2.35 ± 1.74 μg/ml).     

Influence of Anthropogenic Structures on Northern Bobwhite Space Use in Western Oklahoma

ABSTRACT Anthropogenic structures associated with energy development and other activities are a growing concern in wildlife conservation because of habitat loss and fragmentation. We conducted a retrospective analysis of effects of barbed-wire fences, oil-extraction structures, aboveground power lines, resurfaced roads, and artificial water sites on space use by northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)in western Oklahoma, USA. Nest location data accrued during 1991–2002 and radiolocation data during 1997–2002. Data suggested fences had a weak repellent effect at distances <300 m, oil structures had neutral effects at distances <800 m, aboveground power lines had neutral effects at distances <250 m, resurfaced roads attracted at distances <350 m, and water sites had neutral effects at distances <250 m. Generally, anthropogenic structures seemed compatible with bobwhite populations on our study area, given density and dispersion of the structures that existed.     

The Effects of Landscape Characteristics on Northern Bobwhite Density

The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is an ecologically and economically valuable species in the United States. Managers rely on autumn density estimates to set harvest regulations, balancing the interests of hunters and long-term bobwhite population viability. Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) is a useful framework for estimating population size and modeling spatial variation in density. We used SCR to quantify the effect of landscape structure on spatial variation in density for a population of bobwhites on the Di-Lane Wildlife Management Area in Waynesboro, Georgia, USA. Without additional telemetry or nesting data, we were also able to estimate a spatially explicit metric of productivity. To sample the population, we deployed a fixed array of 395, 262, and 268 funnel traps in 2016, 2017, and 2018, respectively. We estimated age structure, with the highest density of juveniles (0.32 birds/ha, 95% CI = 0.28–0.37) and adults (0.10 birds/ha, 95% CI = 0.08–0.12) estimated in 2016. In our top model, density was negatively related to the proportion of closed canopy hardwoods. To increase bobwhite density on the landscape, managers should reduce the amount of closed canopy hardwood forest. Furthermore, the spatially explicit age ratio we estimated could be used to target management towards increasing the recruitment of chicks into the autumn population. An SCR approach may require additional logistical and financial resources relative to other data collection methods, but it makes modeling spatial variation in density straightforward and can be used to gather data to simultaneously understand population structure, vital rates, and movement. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

Population Irruptions of Northern Bobwhite: Testing an Age-Specific Reproduction Hypothesis

Abstract: Age-specific reproduction has been suggested for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and has been hypothesized as a factor contributing to population irruptions. However, little research has been conducted on the subject. We conducted a laboratory and field study to determine if age-specific reproduction occurred in northern bobwhites. Our objectives were to compare 7 reproductive measures (% F nesting, date of first incubated nest, egg-laying rate, nesting rate, clutch size, egg mass, and egg hatchability) between first- and second-year breeders and determine if differential reproduction was impacted by diet quality. The laboratory study consisted of a 2 × 2 factorial experiment with age and diet quality (low protein [12%] and high protein [24%]) as the factors. Data for the field study represented a 6-year data set of bobwhite reproduction (May-Sep 2000-2005) obtained from an ongoing radiotelemetry study in southern Texas, USA. We documented similar productivity (i.e., % F laying, egg-laying rate, and egg mass) and timing of laying (i.e., date of first egg) between juvenile (n = 33) and adult bobwhites (n = 27) in our laboratory study. However, females on the high-protein diet exhibited a greater egg-laying rate than females on the low-protein diet. Under field conditions, we also documented no difference in productivity (% F nesting, nesting rate, clutch size, egg hatchability) and timing of nesting (date of first incubated nest) between age classes (n = 59 juv and 32 ad). Our findings do not support early suppositions of age-specific reproduction in quail. Quail irruptions should not be influenced by population age structure as it relates to age-specific reproduction.     

Habitat-Suitability Bounds for Nesting Cover of Northern Bobwhites on Semiarid Rangelands

ABSTRACT Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is a species for which extensive knowledge exists regarding its ecology, life history, and habitat. Although the qualitative aspects of bobwhite habitat have been described and known for many decades, researchers have neglected to characterize bobwhite habitat quantitatively (i.e., habitat selection). Thus, biologists have been capable of identifying components that compose bobwhite habitat but have only been able to speculate on how much of each component was necessary. We documented selection-avoidance behavior of nesting bobwhites in Brooks County, Texas, USA, during May-August, 2004–2005. We measured 5 vegetation features (i.e., nesting-substrate ht and width, suitable nest clump density, herbaceous canopy coverage, and radius of complete visual obstruction) at nest sites (n = 105) and at random points (n = 204). We used continuous selection functions to assess habitat use and identify bounds of suitability. Selection domains for nesting-substrate height and radius of complete visual obstruction were 16.9–31.2 cm and 1.05-4.35 m, respectively. Across all measurements, bobwhites selected for nest sites with a nesting-substrate width ≥22.4 cm, suitable nest-clump density ≥730 nest clumps/ha, and herbaceous canopy coverage ≥36.7%. This knowledge will provide an important foundation for managers to evaluate current nesting conditions on semiarid rangelands and provide a basis for habitat management aimed at creating suitable nesting habitat for bobwhites.     

Landscape Connectivity Influences Survival and Resource Use following Long-Distance Translocation of Northern Bobwhite

Translocation is an important component of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) recovery efforts, given the scale of their decline and inability to rapidly recolonize recently restored habitat. Repopulating sites in northern latitudes that are distant from reliable source populations may require long-distance trap and transport from southern locales, potentially compounding existing obstacles for this renascent population recovery technique. The landscape connectivity hypothesis predicts that site fidelity and survival would be lower if release properties are small and fragmented and home range sizes would be smaller and dispersal distances would be lower if habitat quality at the release site is perceived to be high and the surrounding matrix is of low permeability. We evaluated this hypothesis to determine if northern bobwhite survival, site fidelity, and resource selection following translocation differed between 2 contrasting landscapes in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. We translocated 508 radio-collared northern bobwhites from northern Florida and southern Georgia, to small, fragmented properties on the eastern shore of Maryland and large, contiguous properties in southern New Jersey, USA. We monitored northern bobwhites via radio-telemetry from approximately 1 April through 30 September, 2015–2018, 2–7 times a week. Breeding season (182 days after release) survival varied among sites, and was generally higher at the 2 New Jersey release sites than at the 2 Maryland sites, yet an acclimation period is ostensibly required to obtain reasonable breeding survival estimates to elicit population growth. Site fidelity, maximum dispersal distances, and home range sizes were lower at the smaller, fragmented Maryland properties than the larger New Jersey properties. These results support the landscape connectivity hypothesis such that reduced connectivity in our study decreased site fidelity and survival. Temporal variation in survival was potentially an artifact of translocation stress or maladaptive behavior during initial acclimation to the release sites, indicating that higher stocking rates may be needed to provide adequate founder abundance for translocation success. Northern bobwhites used early-successional cover at all sites, though selection varied based on scale of analysis and landscape context. These vital rate estimates and resource use patterns should be used to guide future translocations within the Mid-Atlantic, provide perspective for this population restoration technique range wide, and stimulate further investigation into limiting factors. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.     

Supplemental Feeding of Northern Bobwhite Affects Red-Tailed Hawk Spatial Distribution

ABSTRACT Supplemental feeding is a widely used management practice in areas managed for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter quail). Although food provisioning is intended to benefit quail directly, it may also indirectly affect predators by allowing them to focus on the increased concentration of prey. We studied the effects of food supplementation for northern bobwhite on red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) space use in a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem in southwestern Georgia. We used radiotelemetry to determine whether hawks were attracted to areas where supplemental feeding occurred. We found hawks almost 3 times closer to feeding sites (224 ± 96 m; x̄ ± SE) than expected (638 ± 96 m). Our data provide an example of a common game management practice having an unintended influence on a top predator.     

Effects of Understory Vegetation Management on Brood Habitat for Northern Bobwhites

Abstract: Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have experienced severe declines for several decades, and declines have been particularly precipitous in the southern United States. These declines are partially attributable to large-scale conversions of potential habitat to short-rotation pine (Pinus spp.) forests managed for wood fiber production and fire exclusion in pine-dominated landscapes. We used standard arthropod sampling techniques, human-imprinted bobwhite chicks, and vegetation response to evaluate effects of different understory vegetation management practices on brood habitat quality within a commercially managed pine forest in Louisiana, USA, during 2002–2005. Specifically, we evaluated effects of mowing, prescribed fire during the growing season, prescribed fire in combination with imazapyr application, and no vegetation management on arthropod abundance and diversity, vegetation response, and the probability of bobwhite chicks successfully capturing an arthropod. Bobwhite chicks were more successful at capturing arthropods, and arthropod abundance and diversity were greatest, in plant communities managed using prescribed fire and imazapyr. Forest stands managed using a combination of fire and imazapyr were managed primarily to benefit the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis; RCW). Our findings suggest that management directed toward improving forest condition for RCWs improves habitat quality for brooding bobwhites. However, bobwhite chicks in our study area were less successful at capturing arthropods than were chicks in other studies in the southeastern United States. Brood-rearing habitat in pine forests similar to those we studied may be of generally poor quality, and could be related to precipitous declines of bobwhites in the West Gulf Coastal Plain. Managers should recognize that creating high-quality brood habitat in forests similar to those we studied will require more intensive management of understory vegetation than we studied.     

Northern Bobwhites and Postfire Succession

ABSTRACT Our study evaluated the effects of prescribed fire on northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) occupying native rangelands in Rolling Plains of Texas, USA, during 2002 and 2003. Prescribed fires were conducted during February of 1996, 1998, and 2000; pastures with no recent treatment history served as controls. We quantified bobwhite densities from line transects using distance sampling. We used a repeated-measures analysis of variance to test for treatment-year differences in bobwhite densities. We measured postfire herbaceous and woody vegetation attributes and evaluated vegetation relationships to bobwhite density using simple linear regression. We found significant between-year differences in fall bobwhite densities (F = 13.05, df = 3, P = 0.036) but no differences among treatments or controls. Fall bobwhite densities were inversely related to visual obstruction (r² = 0.179, df = 15, P = 0.058) and positively associated with increasing heterogeneity of grass cover (r² = 0.416, df = 15, P = 0.004). Our results suggest prescribed fire at large spatial scales may be a neutral practice for managing bobwhite habitat on semiarid rangelands.     

Effect of Radiotransmitters on Northern Bobwhite Annual Survival

Abstract: Radiotelemetry has been widely used in northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) research to estimate survival rates and other demographic parameters. Biologists have used this knowledge to study bobwhite ecology, develop management theory, and base management actions. We tested the assumption that radiotransmitters do not bias survival rates of bobwhites by comparing survival rates of banded bobwhites with and without radiotransmitters on Tall Timbers Research Station (TTRS) from 1999 to 2004. We used Burnham's model in Program MARK and model-selection procedures to determine relative importance of year, gender, and radiotagged status on annual survival rates and recovery processes. Three plausible models (relative quasi-likelihood Akaike's Information Criterion [ΔQAIC_c] < 3) included year dependence in survival and an additive effect of gender but no radiotransmitter effect. Models including a radiotransmitter effect in survival were >8 ΔQAIC_c from the top models, had low Akaike model weights (w_i < 0.007), and low importance weight (S̀w_i(radio) = 0.01). We also compared band—recapture survival estimates from the QAIC_c minimizing model to staggered entry Kaplan—Meier (KM) survival estimates from 2000 to 2003. Annual KM survival estimates of male and female bobwhites were within the 95% confidence interval of band—recapture estimates in 7 of 8 comparisons. We conclude that radiotelemetry is a reliable technique for determining bobwhite survival. Managers should view information from properly conducted telemetry research as reliable and useful for management.     

Behavior of Walk-Hunters and Pointing Dogs During Northern Bobwhite Hunts

Abstract: Data on the behavior of walk-hunters and pointing dogs aids in understanding and managing quail harvest. We collected Global Positioning System track logs and recorded behaviors of hunters and dogs on northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) hunts in Oklahoma (n = 43), Texas (n = 43), and Missouri (n = 7), USA, during the 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 hunting seasons. Hunter velocity averaged 0.8 ± 0.03 (SE) m/second both seasons (n = 85) and pooled (95% CL overlap) velocity of bird dogs was 2.5 ± 0.07 (SE) m/second (n = 154). Hunters spent 60.5 ± 2.4% (SE) of their time walking in 2005–2006 (n = 45) versus 75.2 ± 3.5% (SE) in 2006–2007 (n = 48); respective figures for ranging by dogs were 50.2 ± 2.2% (n = 57) versus 82.0 ± 1.3% (SE; n = 97). Mean duration of a hunt declined from 82.3 ± 8.16 (SE) minutes (n = 45) to 50.2 ± 5.1 (SE) minutes (n = 48) between seasons. Variation in bobwhite abundance was the primary cause of seasonal variation in hunter and dog behaviors because covey-associated activities declined as quail abundance declined. With our results and those of previous workers, managers have first-generation estimates of all variables in hunter-covey interface models for managing bobwhite harvest on discrete areas.     

Deer Carrying Capacity in Mid-Rotation Pine Plantations of Mississippi

ABSTRACT Herbicides, commonly used for vegetation management in intensively managed pine (Pinus spp.) forests of the southeastern United States, with and without fire, may alter availability of quality forage for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; deer), an economically and socially important game species in North America. Because greater forage quality yields greater deer growth and productivity and intensively managed pine forests are common in the southeastern United States, forest managers would benefit from an understanding of fire and herbicide effects on forage availability to improve habitat conditions for deer. Therefore, we evaluated independent and combined effects of fire and herbicide (i.e., imazapyr) on forage biomass and deer nutritional carrying capacity (CC) on land owned and managed by Weyerhaeuser NR Company in east-central Mississippi, USA. We used a randomized complete block design of 6 pine plantations (blocks) divided into 4 10-ha treatment plots to each of which we randomly assigned a treatment (burn-only, herbicide-only, burn + herbicide, and control). We estimated biomass (kg/ha) of moderate- and high-use deer forage plants during July of 1999–2008, then estimated CC for diets to support either body maintenance (6% crude protein) or lactation (14% crude protein) with a nutritional constraints model. Herbaceous forages responded positively to fire and herbicide application. In most years, CC estimates for maintenance and lactation were greater in burn + herbicide than in controls. Maintenance-level CC was always greater in burn + herbicide than in controls, except at 1 year posttreatment. Burn + herbicide was 2.6–8.3 times greater (x̄ = 4.0) than control for lactation-level CC in 8 of 9 years posttreatment. We recommend fire and selective herbicides to increase high-quality deer forage in mid-rotation, intensively managed pine plantations.     

Spatial Models of Northern Bobwhite Populations for Conservation Planning

Abstract: Since 1980, northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) range-wide populations declined 3.9% annually. Within the West Gulf Coastal Plain Bird Conservation Region in the south-central United States, populations of this quail species have declined 6.8% annually. These declines sparked calls for land use change and prompted implementation of various conservation practices. However, to effectively reverse these declines and restore northern bobwhite to their former population levels, habitat conservation and management efforts must target establishment and maintenance of sustainable populations. To provide guidance for conservation and restoration of habitat capable of supporting sustainable northern bobwhite populations in the West Gulf Coastal Plain, we modeled their spatial distribution using landscape characteristics derived from 1992 National Land Cover Data and bird detections, from 1990 to 1994, along 10-stop Breeding Bird Survey route segments. Four landscape metrics influenced detections of northern bobwhite: detections were greater in areas with more grassland and increased aggregation of agricultural lands, but detections were reduced in areas with increased density of land cover edge and grassland edge. Using these landscape metrics, we projected the abundance and spatial distribution of northern bobwhite populations across the entire West Gulf Coastal Plain. Predicted populations closely approximated abundance estimates from a different cadre of concurrently collected data but model predictions did not accurately reflect bobwhite detections along species-specific call-count routes in Arkansas and Louisiana. Using similar methods, we also projected northern bobwhite population distribution circa 1980 based on Land Use Land Cover data and bird survey data from 1976 to 1984. We compared our 1980 spatial projections with our spatial estimate of 1992 populations to identify areas of population change. Additionally, we used our projection of the spatial distribution and abundance of bobwhite to predict areas of population sustainability. Our projections of population change and sustainability provide guidance for targeting habitat conservation and rehabilitation efforts for restoration of northern bobwhite populations in the West Gulf Coastal Plain.