The Northern Bobwhite is a ground-dwelling bird of grasslands and woodland edges in eastern and southern North America. It hides in cover and moves in groups.
An adult male of the eastern form has a white eyebrow, black-and-white face markings, and a rusty throat. Appearance varies by region and subspecies.
Northern Bobwhites roost in coveys in autumn and winter, but may roost individually during the breeding season. Spring and summer vegetation provides resting places as well as nesting and feeding habitat. Males and females sometimes roost together.
At a Mississippi farm in April–August 2021 and 2022, researchers tracked wild birds by radio. Excluding incubating and brood-tending birds, they measured vegetation at 322 roost sites used by 34 individuals.
Compared with available locations, birds were more likely to select roosts with taller vegetation and less bare ground. Selection also varied with the amount of dead plant material covering the soil. Ground cover helped distinguish roosting locations within the farm.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The researchers recommend considering spring and summer roost cover alongside nesting and brood-feeding habitat. A mixture of vegetation heights and ground-cover conditions can provide options across seasons and life stages. They identify the relationship between roost selection and survival as a future research need.