What Eats the Bobwhite Quail?

The bobwhite quail is found throughout much of the United States and has at least five sub-species, including the northern and midwestern varieties. All species of this quail are small, ground-nesting birds of between 6 and 7 inches tall and under 7 oz. in weight. The bobwhite's small size and nesting habits make it highly vulnerable to predators.

  1. Domestic Animals

    • The quails like to nest in open grasslands and forest clearings leaving them open to attacks from predators. Domestic animals such as cats are more than big enough to hunt quails and often do. Dogs out walking with the family can easily startle the birds from their nests and will often give chase, sometimes trampling over nests and crushing the eggs.

    Wild Predators

    • Being so widespread, the quail is a possible meal for a number of the country's main predators. Bobcats, mountain lions and lynx would all find quail an easy meal. Coyotes, wolves and foxes are also main predators. As ground dwellers the species is vulnerable to birds of prey such as eagles, turkey hawks and owls. Another threat to population numbers are mammals that may not eat the birds, but could potentially walk on and crush the small nests, including humans and large herbivores like deer.

    Snakes

    • In the U.S., hundreds of snake species exist. Some are too small to pose a threat to quail, but many are more than big enough to eat one. The country has several venomous snake species, including a number of rattlesnakes, that can be found in the quail's natural habitats. Snakes don't just pose a threat to the adult birds, but some smaller species will enter nests and take chicks or eggs.

    Egg Eaters

    • Some predators don't wait until the quails are born. Smaller, predatory mammals who might find an adult tricky to catch and kill might concentrate of scaring nesting birds off the nest. Animals such as the skunk, armadillo, raccoon, opossums or even deer will eat quail eggs.