Skip to content
Henry Sowell

Vol. I · Est. 2026

Pl. LVIII
Field-journal plate: Northern Bobwhite
The Northern Bobwhite plate as rendered on the e-ink frame
As rendered on the frame

The Birds · Plate LVIII

Northern Bobwhite

Colinus virginianus

Odontophoridae · Taxon 1280

Length20–28 cm (8–11 in)
Wingspan33–36 cm (13–14 in)
Weight140–170 g (4.9–6.0 oz)

Field marks

  1. Small, plump quail with a rounded body, small head, and very short tail
  2. Male has a bold black-and-white striped face with a white throat and eyebrow
  3. Female has a buff throat and buff eyebrow rather than the male’s white facial pattern
  4. Rich chestnut to rufous upperparts, finely mottled with black, buff, and white
  5. Underparts show dense pale scaling and dark barring
  6. Short, dark, slightly downcurved bill; gray legs and rounded wings

HabitatSemi-open country with a grassy ground layer and dense low cover: overgrown fields, grasslands, shrubby areas, woodland edges, and open pine or mixed woodland.

BehaviorGround-dwelling and chiefly a walking forager; often travels in coveys, runs between dense cover, and flushes in a short burst of rapid wingbeats when disturbed.

Palette

chestnut brownrufousbuff tanblackwhite