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Northern Bobwhite
Bobwhite by Gary Kramer, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation |
The Challenge
Despite being one of the most popular game species in the East, with a long history of intensive management attention, Northern Bobwhites are still experiencing long-term, precipitous declines due to the loss of native eastern grasslands. Widespread societal changes in land-use practices on grazing lands, croplands, and forest lands, in combination with natural forces, have directly or indirectly eliminated or degraded as much as 99% of native grassland habitats on hundreds of millions of acres across the eastern United States.
ABC Conservation Framework
Efforts to conserve the Northern Bobwhite fall under Conserving Habitats in ABC's conservation framework |
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Primary Birds Impacted
Northern Bobwhite, Loggerhead Shrike, Bewick’s Wren, Field Sparrow, Prairie Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Blue-winged Warbler, Indigo Bunting, Henslow’s Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, Vesper Sparrow, Greater Prairie-Chicken, and Dickcissel.
Solutions
Landscape-scale restoration of suitable native grassland habitats is required. Bobwhites are “grassland generalists” that can use nearly any type of upland native grassland in the East, whether open, shrubby, or forested. This adaptability enables a three-pronged land-use approach that addresses the restoration of bobwhites with that of other eastern grassland birds.
ABC Results
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Improvement of several thousand acres of habitat in Fulton County, Arkansas, in the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region. This has been accomplished by private landowners on behalf of bobwhite recovery goals and has resulted in increased bobwhite numbers. |
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With comprehensive input from ABC, The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has declared grassland birds such as the Northern Bobwhite, “keystone” species, triggering a long-term commitment of funding for conservation efforts. |
What Next?
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Restoration of eight million acres of early successional habitat in order to produce more than 300,000 new bobwhite coveys. |
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Retire four million acres of cropland patches and strips in long-term conservation practices, and establish actively managed, native, early-successional habitats. |
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Convert four million acres of existing cool-season, tame pasture and hay on recreational lands or hobby farms to actively managed, native, early successional habitats. |
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Establish early-successional demonstration sites on private or public recreational lands in every state in the East. Conduct vigorous program of public field days and workshops for agency personnel and landowners at every site. |
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Initiate a public outreach campaign to harness the bobwhite’s universal appeal and uncommon power to unite such disparate societal communities as livestock producers, songbird advocates, native plant societies, pollinator groups, farmers, longleaf pine enthusiasts, fire ecologists, herpetologists, soil and water conservationists, timber producers, and upland game bird hunters. |
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