and seeds The plant canopy provides protective cover above theds and b - PDF document

1 and seeds. The plant canopy provides pro
and seeds. The plant canopy provides protective cover above theds and bare ground beneath for easy travel. Fallow fields of annual weeds, especially common ragweedand partridge pea, provide excellent brd habitat if the fields arege enough for secure brd movements.This plant communi-ty grows in thick stands following annual fall/winter disking. Theplants form an overhead canopy that conceals quail chicks fredators, shields them from rain, shades them from summer sun,and produces an abundance of insects that young quail must havefor growth. The canopy shades out other plant growth beneath sochicks have plenty of bare ground to move easily and find fooRagweed patches are well developed by mid-summer when bre hatching. The patches may continue to hold quail into the fallas birds begin feeding on ragweed and other seed.Annually planted food patches that are allowed to lie fallowthe following summer will also grow annual weeds and grasses usedby quail brds. The plant composition is difent than thatwhich occurs with dormant season (fall/winter) disking andincludes more crabgrass, florida pussley, and other spring and sum-mer annuals in addition to ragweed. These plants do not have thecover characteristics of ragweed, but they still produce insects andsmall seeds that quail chicks r Ecology and Management of the Bobwhite Quail in Alabama

2 17 Ideal quail nesting cover is composed
17 Ideal quail nesting cover is composed of moderately dense broomsedge, such that the grass clumps are scattered, bare ground is present and plants other thanoomsedge can also gr. Most bobwhite nests are located in grassy-weedy plant covers from the previous growing season. The cover must be intact at the onsetof nesting in April and May, which means it must escape disturbance such as burning, plowing or mowing for at least one year.Y DEBIN,AN STEW Lush weedy groundcovers that grow in open pine woodlands after late winter and early spring burns supply excellent quail brood range in summer. Fallow fields ofannual weeds, especially common ragweed and partridge pea, provide excellent brood habitat if the fields are large enough for secure brood movements. AN STEWNESTING COVER AND BROOD HABITAT ARE THE KEYS TO QUAIL RESTORA The winter diet of bobwhites is composed primarily of seeds picked up from theound, so the birds need seed-bearing plants that drop their seed on re ground. Seeds of legumes, the pea family, are frequently used.AN STEW Native (N)Introduced (I)Annual (A)Cultivar (C)Perennial (P) LEGUMESBeggarweeds (Desmodium spp.)NPBeggarweed, Florida (Desmodium tortuosum)IAButterfly Pea (Centrosema virginianum)NPCow Pea (Vigna unguiculata)CALespedeza, Bicolor (Lespedeza bicolor)IPLespedeza, Common (Lespedeza striata)IALespedeza,

3 Kobe (Lespedeza striata)CALespedezas, Pe
Kobe (Lespedeza striata)CALespedezas, Perennial (Lespedeza spp.)NPLespedeza, Thunburg(Lespedeza thunburgii)IPMilk Peas (Galactia spp.)NPPartridge Peas (Cassia spp.)NASoybean (Glycine max)CAWild Beans (Strophostyles spp.)NP GRASSESBrowntop Millet (Panicum fasciculatum)CABroomsedges (Andropogon spp.)NPBull Grass (Paspalum boscianum)NACorn(Zea mays)CACrab Grass (Digitaria sanguinalis)NACrowfoot Grass (Dactyloctenium aegyptium)NAFoxtail (Setaria spp.)NA,PPanic Grass (Panicum spp.)NA,PPaspalum (Paspalum spp.)NA,PSorghum (Sorghum vulgare)CA OTHER HERBACEOUSCommon Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)NADove Weed (Croton glandulosus)NASunflowers (Helianthus spp.)NA,PWoolly Croton (Croton capitatus)NA ryryryry 18Ecology and Management of the Bobwhite Quail in Alabama Protective CoverBobwhite winter covey ranges are strongly associated withdy and brushy protective covers that provide secure loafingand escape areas. Each covey usually has one or more headquar-ters or small activity centers in and near some type of thicketIdentified headquarters covers include plum patches,other dense shrub and sprout stands, and Japanese honeysucklethickets. Shrub covers and thickets are particularly important asweed and grass covers thin during winter.Chickasaw plum, unus angustifolia,is a much branched,ming shrub that grows to about six feet tall and exem-pli

4 fies ideal protective cover for quail. I
fies ideal protective cover for quail. It offers the characteristicsattractive to bobwhites: a low overhead canopy with bare grbeneath. Coveys can avoid avian predators beneath the canopy orrun into the thicket to escape ground predators. It grows best onsandy or low fertility soils and is often found in open woods, fieldders and fencerows. Its presence should be encouraged on thequail range.Winter coveys spend a large portion of the day loafing inushy thicket cover and as little time as necessary feeding. Thisminimizes exposure to predators. Feeding is a risky activity. Thee time coveys spend moving and feeding, the greater thechances of detection by predators. If food is abundant and close toloafing cover, bobwhite survival is enhanced. When food suppliesbecome scarce, birds venture away from cover for longer perioto acquire food, exposure to predators is gr, and morIn severe weather, coveys with adequate food nearcover experience light mor, whereas coveys without thisrangement may exhibit unusual movements and suffer heavierBobwhites are animals of low mobility. Winter daily move-ments are typically short, often less than a few hundred yare, protective cover and foods should be arranged in closeoximity to enhance bobwhite survival and optimize numbers ofbobwhite coveys. Ecology and Management of the Bobwhite Quail in Alabama19