The northern bobwhite, also known as the bobwhite quail, has a distinctive round look to it and is patterned with black, brown, and white to camouflage into their surroundings. They are small birds, and only weigh about a quarter of a pound. 

Males and females can be distinguished by looking at the coloration on their faces. Males tend to have a c-shaped outline of black/dark brown and white on their face, while in females it is not as prominent, and usually brown and tan coloring.

This species can be found in the eastern United States, from Canada to Mexico.

The northern bobwhite is a habitat specialist, requiring open areas, with early successional grasses dominating the vegetation. They favor open pine forests, shrubby agricultural fields, and grasslands.

Northern bobwhite tend to eat a variety of seeds and insects. Seeds are a primary diet component in the winter, especially those of legumes and grasses.

Having open fields allows them to forage for these plants and insects easily. Young birds eat insects to get protein, and insects are easily found in the summer.

The male and female birds work together to choose a nest site and create the nest. The nest is on the ground and well hidden in dense plant growth.

The northern bobwhite can be a prolific breeder, having up to three broods a year. The average northern bobwhite will have 1-3 broods a year, with each brood having between 7-28 eggs, and the incubation period lasts about 23 days.

The northern bobwhite has a distinctive song, which is a whistle sounding like “Bob-white!”. 

The northern bobwhite has been an important game species in US history. 

The northern bobwhite is a fire-dependent species, which means that management by prescribed fire is beneficial to them. Prescribed fire helps to open up understory and promote grasses and bare ground that they forage on.