Thistle Dew! Farms

Northern Bobwhites and the TWRA programs

The Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is the state game bird of Tennessee and an important part of the state’s landscape and heritage. Northern Bobwhite populations have declined dramatically range-wide since the 1950s, primarily due to landscape-scale habitat conversion and loss. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) collaborates with a myriad of partners to foster robust, self-sustaining Northern
Bobwhite populations by enhancing existing and developing additional habitat across the state.

The TWRA Northern Bobwhite Management Team (hereafter referred to as the Quail Team) is a group of TWRA staff assembled in 2017 to develop a statewide management plan, to inform management strategies and to enhance Northern Bobwhite populations in Tennessee.

The resulting Northern Bobwhite Management Plan will guide TWRA’s management actions and planning for the next 5 years. The Plan includes a long-term vision, four broad goals, and supporting objectives with defined strategies to serve as a framework for Northern Bobwhite conservation in Tennessee.

Northern Bobwhite populations are robust and self-sustaining in suitable areas throughout Tennessee as a result of landscape scale conservation efforts based on an inclusive adaptive management approach informed by scientifically valid data.

northern_bobwhite_plan.pdf (tn.gov)

The Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), also known as bobwhite quail or simply quail, is an iconic game bird ranging throughout much of North and Central America (Figure 1). In the United States, Northern Bobwhite are distributed over an area that is 1,900 miles north-south and over 2,500 miles east-west, with a rainfall gradient from greater than 48 inches/year to about 15 inches/year (The National Bobwhite Technical Committee (NBTC) 2011). This broad distribution is due to the species’ ability to thrive in different vegetation types with different management regimes (Burger 2001).
Figure 1. Northern Bobwhite range. From eBird 2017 and TWRA GIS Unit.
Northern Bobwhites are small, almost exclusively ground-dwelling, birds that have relatively small home ranges and do not migrate. Northern Bobwhite live singly or in pairs during the spring and summer and form small flocks or coveys in the fall and winter. Their diet changes seasonally, but
they primarily feed on seeds, small fruits, leaves, and insects. Northern Bobwhite use a variety of vegetation types, but require open land dominated by early successional vegetation with well-distributed shrub or otherwise brushy cover (Burger 2001). Recently disturbed lands are particularly
important, as they provide a flush of new growth with outstanding nutrition and escape cover. Bird densities in robust, self-sustaining populations vary greatly in response to habitat quality, quantity and arrangement. Predation is likely a primary cause of mortality, particularly by avian predators (Burger 2001, Lake et al. 2002). A population size of 800 individuals in the fall is generally considered the minimum for long-term sustainability (Guthery et al. 2000). To sustain a population of this size, a minimum of 1,500 acres of habitat is considered necessary. This minimum acreage is a hypothesis based on Northern Bobwhite movement (Terhune et al. 2010) and the minimum viable bobwhite population work of Guthery et al. (2000).
The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation holds that wildlife is a public resource to be held in trust, by the government, for present and future generations (Organ et al. 2012). In Tennessee, Northern Bobwhites are managed by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), whose mission is to protect, preserve, and perpetuate Tennessee’s wildlife and ecosystems for the sustainable use and recreational benefits for our state’s residents and visitors. TWRA’s mission is to protect, preserve, and perpetuate Tennessee’s wildlife, and ecosystems for the sustainable use and recreational
benefits for our state’s residents
and visitors.2
The Northern Bobwhite is the state game bird of
Tennessee and was once abundant across much of the state,
providing significant recreational opportunities for wildlife
watchers and hunters and substantial revenues to state and local
economies. In 2011, 923,000 Tennessee residents hunted, representing nearly 20% of the state’s population. When non-residents are included, nearly one million people hunted or fished in
Tennessee and generated $1.9 billion dollars in expenditures (US
Department of the Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and US
Department of Commerce, US Census Bureau 2012). Northern
Bobwhite hunters in 11 southeastern states, including Tennessee, generated over $193 million of economic impact annually
(Burger 1999). Successful Northern Bobwhite management
generates substantive benefits for deer, turkey, pollinators, and
grassland and shrubland songbirds as well as enhancing water
quality and improving soil health.
For much of the last century, Northern Bobwhite
populations have declined precipitously range-wide, including
in Tennessee. Northern Bobwhite is now identified as a Species
of Greatest Conservation Need in TWRA’s State Wildlife Action
Plan (TN State Wildlife Action Plan Team 2015). These nearly
universal declines are primarily attributed to habitat loss and
fragmentation.
This document is designed to serve as a management
plan for Northern Bobwhite in Tennessee. The plan provides a
history of Northern Bobwhite in Tennessee, a vision for conservation, and goals, objectives, and strategies to achieve the vision.
It includes strategic guidance and lists specific actions which will
be the most valuable to complete over the next five years. It does
not, however, identify every activity the agency will perform
related to the Northern Bobwhite and its management. Nonetheless, accomplishment of this plan will ensure key steps are
taken to conserve and effectively manage Northern Bobwhite in
the state.
As the scope and scale of human impacts on wildlife
and natural resources escalates, traditional management methodologies must adapt (Allen et al. 2011). Northern Bobwhite
management is strongly influenced by human activity and
we must therefore be increasingly nimble and responsive to
changing conditions and demands. The following strategies and
objectives will likely change over time as Northern Bobwhite
stakeholders, populations, habitat and management strategies
are better understood, and objectives of this plan are accomplished.
Bobwhite habitat consists of herbaceous and woody plants and
bare ground in a patchwork that provides year around food and
protection. Roger Applegate3
History of Northern Bobwhite
Management in Tennessee
It is likely that prior to European settlement, Northern
Bobwhite occurred in a patchy distribution across the state
and were primarily restricted to small pockets of habitat with
varying densities based on habitat quality. Natural disturbance
from wildfire or tornadoes created patches of early successional
vegetation that supported small, localized population explosions (Burger 2001).
With European settlement, growing numbers of farmsteads created outstanding Northern Bobwhite habitat through
forest clearing, low-intensity livestock grazing, annual burning,
and primitive rotational cropping (Burger 2001). The distribution and number of birds increased accordingly across the
state. By the early 1900s, Northern Bobwhite were abundant
across the state and habitat was plentiful and of outstanding
quality.
Declines in the Northern Bobwhite abundance were
noted as early as 1930s (Stoddard 1931) when much of the area
where they occurred had been settled and the huge flush of
early successional vegetation had diminished. Since 1966, populations of Northern Bobwhite have annually declined roughly
3.5% in the US and over 5% in Tennessee based on Breeding
Bird Survey (BBS) counts (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Annual index of abundance of Northern Bobwhite in the United States and Tennessee from the USGS Breeding Bird
Survey (Pardieck et al. 2019).
The decline of the Northern Bobwhite mimics that of
many other species that rely on early successional vegetation
(NBTC 2011). The causes of these declines are multifaceted,
interrelated, and cumulative but are assumed to be primarily
associated with the loss and declining quality of critical early
successional plant communities. Increasingly intensive and
sterile farming practices, fire suppression, increased susceptibility to predation due to landscape changes (Brennan 1991),
residential development, invasive plants, and disease may all be
contributing factors in the range-wide decline of the species.
Partners In Flight (PIF), a joint venture of over 150
organizations focused on land bird conservation, identified
the Northern Bobwhite as one of 24 Common Birds in Steep
Decline—species that are numerous and/or widely distributed
but have experienced troubling long-term population declines.
PIF predicts that if the current population trends continue, the
total population of Northern Bobwhite will be cut in half again
in the next 10 years (Rosenberg et al. 2016).
Since the agency’s inception in 1949, TWRA has
focused on increasing Northern Bobwhite numbers and
sustainability across the state. Most of the early emphasis
of Northern Bobwhite management efforts were directed at
rearing and releasing domestic Northern Bobwhite to supplement wild ones and planting food resources. Programs of
propagation, distribution, and release of domestic Northern
Bobwhite occurred from 1936 to 1957 (Marcum 1975). During
the 1950s–1970’s, efforts shifted to distributing seed and other
plant materials to private landowners to improve private-land
Northern Bobwhite habitat. None of these strategies proved
effective in increasing Northern Bobwhite populations. Similar
efforts were attempted throughout the United States with a
similar lack of success. 4
Considerable empirical research has been completed
in Tennessee to inform and support effective management. For
many years, University of Tennessee faculty conducted Northern Bobwhite research at Ames Plantation, 18,400 acres of
private land primarily used for bird dog field trials and agriculture in west Tennessee. These studies yielded an extensive
body of knowledge on the Northern Bobwhite population,
condition, and habitat management (Dimmick 1971, Eubanks
and Dimmick 1974, McRae and Dimmick 1982, Minser and
Dimmick 1988). These studies provided the baseline data to
inform Northern Bobwhite management in Tennessee.
More recent studies have examined predation on
Northern Bobwhites by Cooper’s hawks (Lake et al. 2002) and
the negative effects of mycotoxins from soybeans (Grizzle et
al. 2004, 2005) on Northern Bobwhite reproductive potential,
and the incorporation of genetic material of domestic Northern
Bobwhite into wild populations in Tennessee following releases
(Evans et al. 2009).
Researchers in Tennessee have focused recently on
habitat needs, including the restoration of native early successional plant communities, to replace nonnative plant communities, such as those dominated by tall fescue and bermudagrass
(Harper et al. 2007, Harper 2017). In 2006, University of Tennessee, with TWRA support, established the Center for Native
Grasslands Management (CNGM) to act as a catalyst for the
development of native grass management systems to improve
habitat for grassland wildlife, including the Northern Bobwhite.
CNGM supports both outreach and research and aims to provide land managers and cattle producers the scientific background to effectively establish and maintain native grasslands.
Across the Northern Bobwhite range, recent conservation efforts have concentrated on managing early successional communities (Harper 2017), the utility of prescribed fire
(Harper et al. 2016), and native grassland restoration (Estes
2016). These studies further support how Northern Bobwhite
habitat is best provided by early successional plant communities
and grasslands that are early- to mid-successional and regularly
maintained by fire or other disturbance. In Kentucky, habitat
manipulation that maintained at least 10% of the focus areas
in early successional habitat consistently supported increasing
Northern Bobwhite populations (Morgan et al. 2017).
Since the 1960s, a variety of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs have been implemented on private
lands in Tennessee to increase and improve habitat for Northern Bobwhite. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) improves soil, protects water, and restores wildlife habitat. Several
of the CRP Program Practices, including CP33 (Habitat Buffers
for Upland Birds) and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement
(SAFE) CP38E (Bobwhite Habitat Restoration) are intended to
specifically enhance and increase Northern Bobwhite habitat.
Although the SAFE Bobwhite Habitat practice is currently
limited in Tennessee to 11,500 acres in 28 counties, it provides
significant improvements to Northern Bobwhite habitat on
private lands (Gudlin et al. 2019).
The most recent habitat programs are directed towards
conversion of cool-season pasture lands and promotion of early
successional plant communities (GeFellers et al. 2020, Harper et
al. 2007, Harper 2017). These practices have been implemented on TWRA-managed and privately-owned lands. In 2018,
the USDA Farm Bill incorporated language that prioritizes
the planting of native over nonnative vegetation specifically to
benefit Northern Bobwhite and other native wildlife. TWRA
has partnered with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation
Service (NRCS) to hire biologists to deliver these types of habitat programs on private lands using federal funds, and Quail
Forever (QF) has partnered with NRCS and the Southeastern
Grasslands Initiative (SGI) to provide technical expertise. Although these programs have increased the quality and availability of important Northern Bobwhite habitats across Tennessee
and the United States, Northern Bobwhite populations continue
to decline.
Since 2002, TWRA has actively participated in and
supported the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative
(NBCI), a group of state wildlife management agencies, federal
agencies, and non-governmental partners working to restore
and sustain Northern Bobwhite across its range. NBCI functions as a clearinghouse of best management practices (BMP),
standardized scientific methodologies, and serves to steer collaborative restoration and management efforts nationwide. The
vision, goals, and objectives identified in this plan are closely
aligned with those of the NBCI and are intended to support its
efforts.Current Status
The Northern Bobwhite can still be found throughout
much of Tennessee, but relative abundance measures indicate
steep and sustained declines. Since the USGS Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) was started in 1966, Northern Bobwhite populations in
Tennessee have annually declined by more than 5% (Figure 2), for
a total loss of nearly 85% range wide (Pardieck et al. 2019).
Habitat loss and degradation and their cumulative
impacts are the greatest causes of the population decline (The
National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative and The National
Bobwhite Technical Committee (NBCI & NBTC) 2019). In response, current conservation efforts in Tennessee aim to further
collaboratively manage, monitor, and enhance Northern Bobwhite habitat.
In 2013, TWRA identified four Northern Bobwhite
(Quail) Focal Areas, or QFAs. Each of these QFAs are intended
to provide sufficient high-quality habitat to sustain a Northern
Bobwhite population indefinitely (TWRA 2013) as well as to
direct habitat management and enhancement efforts. Within
and adjacent to the QFAs, TWRA-owned Wildlife Management
Areas (WMAs) serve as anchors that focus on Northern Bobwhite habitat management (Figure 3). These Anchor WMAs are
intended to provide high quality, intensively managed Northern
Bobwhite habitat to support a self-sustaining population within
the larger QFA.
Figure 3. Depiction of an Anchor WMA within the larger QFA.
The four QFAs and their associated WMAs are: Bark
Camp Barrens, Bridgestone-Firestone, Lick Creek, and Wolf
River (Figure 4). The QFAs are located across Tennessee and
comprised of both public and private lands, with one WMA
serving as the anchor for each QFA (Figure 5). The WMAs
make up a significant portion of total Northern Bobwhite
habitat in the QFAs. In fact, these four areas comprise over
3,700 acres of early successional plant communities and have
the potential to provide substantially more with targeted habitat management activities (TWRA 2018). Additional QFAs
and associated Anchor WMAs will be evaluated and added as
capacity allows.
Figure 4. Acreage of Anchor WMAs and QFAs in Tennessee.
5In addition to the QFAs, Kyker Bottoms Refuge in
Blount County is designated as a Quail Demonstration Area
(QDA) and maintains the highest known densities of Northern Bobwhite in Tennessee of approximately 0.5 Northern
Bobwhite/acre. The high-quality, intensively managed habitat
showcases best management practices and the real impact they
can have on producing sustainable, robust Northern Bobwhite
populations. Additional QDAs will be considered as capacity
allows.
Figure 5. Location of Quail Focal Areas (QFAs) and Quail Demonstration Area (QDA) in Tennessee.
Since the establishment of the QFAs in 2014, more
than 20,000 acres have been actively managed with prescribed
fire, targeted herbicide applications, timber harvest, disking,
seeding, and various mechanical treatments (Figure 6). In
addition to these targeted habitat enhancements, more than
1,500 acres of former woodlands have been converted to early
successional plant communities through timber harvest.
Figure 6. Habitat management in Anchor WMAs to benefit Northern Bobwhite (2014 – 2019)
Since 2017, TWRA has completed abundance monitoring surveys on all QFAs using a standardized protocol developed by NBCI. These abundance measurements are designed
to document range-wide, long-term trends rather than highlight annual, short-term changes in a single WMA or QFA. The
Tennessee abundance data will be pooled and analyzed with
other state’s surveys to inform range-wide Northern Bobwhite
management actions over the long-term.
One of the Anchor WMAs, Wolf River WMA, is
designated as a NCBI Coordinated Implementation Program
(CIP) focal area. NBCI CIP focal areas are contiguous areas
designed to increase the probability of achieving target Northern Bobwhite densities through strategic habitat management
efforts (Morgan et al. 2016). They form a national network of
high-quality Northern Bobwhite habitat that serves as a platform for large-scale habitat management and provides measures of management success of Northern Bobwhite conservation efforts.
Each NBCI CIP focal area must have a minimum of
1,500 acres of year-round, high-quality Northern Bobwhite
habitat that makes up a minimum of 25% of the total acreage
in the focal area. Additionally, fall covey call point estimates
must be completed annually and habitat assessments must be
completed at 1-, 5-, and 10-year intervals. Habitat management
6activities must be tracked and reported to NBCI annually. It
is also recommended that Northern Bobwhite harvest in focal
areas be managed and reported and that the release of domestic
Northern Bobwhites is prevented or tracked if allowed.
In order to compare the success of management
efforts in CIP properties, each CIP property has a paired reference area that is representative of the larger ecoregion and
provides a comparison of managed and unmanaged habitat.
Northern Bobwhite populations and habitat quality on both
properties are monitored with the same protocols and at the
same intervals. The Wolf River Anchor WMA reference area
includes approximately 20,000 acres of similar habitat. Future
conditions will be monitored as outlined in NBCI’s CIP guidelines (Morgan et al. 2016).
Even with TWRA’s efforts described above, there remain many opportunities for habitat acquisition and enhancement across the state. In the late 2000’s, NBCI led a standardized, coordinated mapping effort to identify areas of habitat
in each of the 22 partner states. The Biologist Ranking Information (BRI) mapping sessions included a broad array of local
Northern Bobwhite experts to incorporate local up-to-date and
on-the-ground knowledge. All counties were assigned a rank
of High, Medium, Low, or None based on habitat potential and
social and economic characteristics affecting the suitability
of potential and occupied habitat (NBTC 2011). The purpose
of the maps is to highlight areas of opportunity for successful
Northern Bobwhite habitat creation and enhancement.
The BRI maps indicate there are over 4 million acres
in Tennessee with high potential to be restored as Northern
Bobwhite habitat and an additional 8.2 million acres with
moderate potential (Figure 7). Knowledge of the potential of
these public and private lands will be useful in planning future
habitat enhancement. The BRI will help guide decision-making
for TWRA and partner habitat management actions.
Figure 7. Northern Bobwhite habitat potential in Tennessee (NBTC 2011).
Sport hunting is an important component of Northern
Bobwhite management in Tennessee. Regulations have varied
little over time, and TWRA regulations currently allow Northern Bobwhite hunting from the first Saturday in November
through the last day of February annually, with a daily bag limit
of six. In areas of low Northern Bobwhite population density
or areas of high hunter participation, sport hunting has been
shown to be an additive source of mortality in Northern Bobwhite and can reduce the sustainability of populations (Williams
et al. 2004, Rolland et al. 2010, Sands 2010). Therefore, some
WMAs have regulations that are more restrictive to prevent
overharvest and beginning with the 2020 season, all Anchor
WMAs are closed to hunting. As TWRA conservation activities
improve the populations in Anchor WMAs, opportunities for
sport harvest will be reconsidered.
Annual harvest varies considerably and has historically
been measured only sporadically in Tennessee. The most recent
surveys were completed following the 2007 – 2008 and 2008 –
2009 hunting seasons. These surveys estimated that 159,155
Northern Bobwhite were harvested by 14,767 hunters during
the 2007 – 2008 season (TWRA 2008), and 24,394 Northern
Bobwhite were harvested by 7,115 hunters during the 2008 –
2009 season (TWRA 2009).
This wide disparity in annual estimated harvest is
symptomatic of the difficulty in quantifying reliable harvest
estimates and applying meaningful management prescriptions.
Beginning with the 2019-2020 season, TWRA has established
an annual survey of small game, waterfowl and furbearer hunters to estimate harvest, hunter effort, satisfaction, motivations
and attitudes. This will provide annual Northern Bobwhite
harvest estimates, and hunter effort that will inform future decisions regarding sport harvest.
Despite ongoing conservation efforts across the state,
the Northern Bobwhite continues to decline. However, there
7are a myriad of opportunities to improve the population and
sustainability of the species. Generally, these opportunities
can be broadly classified under Habitat, Outreach, Population,
and Research goals. Implementation of these goals and associated objectives and strategies will inform Northern Bobwhite
conservation in Tennessee by the creation and manipulation of
quality habitat, communication with stakeholders, population
management and ongoing research to inform best management
practices.
Prescribed fire is one of the essential tools for maintaining Northern Bobwhite habitat. Stephen Thomas
8
Quail habitat on Kyker Bottoms refuge showing optimum condition.9
Habitat Goal
Increase the quality and quantity of Northern Bobwhite habitat in Quail Focal Areas, Anchor Wildlife Management Areas,
and other lands that have the potential to support self-sustaining populations.
Objective 1
STRATEGY 1.1
Develop a map of areas across the state that are most
suited for increase and enhancement of bobwhite habitat
habitat statewide that incorporates occupancy and abundance
data in Habitat Strategy 1.2, staff knowledge, GIS habitat layers,
NBCI’s BRI mapping data, NBCI habitat guidelines, primary
research, and eBird and USGS Breeding Bird Survey data.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
WMA Managers, Habitat Biologists
Timeframe: Fall 2020 - Fall 2022
STRATEGY 1.2
Inventory Northern Bobwhite occupancy in all WMAs
and a subset of those public and private lands identified as
“high potential” habitat in the Biologists Ranking Index map
(The National Bobwhite Technical Committee 2011).
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
WMA Managers, Habitat Biologists
Timeframe: Spring 2021 - Fall 2022
STRATEGY 1.3
Develop criteria for prioritizing habitat actions and
acquisitions based on the map generated in Habitat Strategy
1.1.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team
Timeframe: Spring 2021 - Fall 2022
STRATEGY 1.4
Prioritize and review the suitability of current QFAs
and explore the replacement or addition of new QFAs.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team,
WMA Coordinators, WMA Managers
Timeframe: Spring 2022 and repeat every five years
Assess, map, and prioritize areas
across the state most suitable for
sustaining populations of Northern
Bobwhite
Objective 2
Improve monitoring, accountability
and documentation of conservation
actions completed in Anchor WMAs
to benefit Northern Bobwhite
STRATEGY 2.1
Track and report annually all habitat enhancement
efforts to benefit Northern Bobwhites in all Anchor WMAs.
Primary Responsibility: Anchor WMA Managers,
Species Coordinator, WMA Coordinators
Timeframe: Fall 2020 and annually
STRATEGY 2.2
Update existing operational plans for Anchor WMAs
to prioritize enhancement of Northern Bobwhite habitat.
Primary Responsibility: Anchor WMA Managers,
Species Coordinator
Timeframe: Winter 2021 and annually
STRATEGY 2.3
Incorporate specific metrics in personnel workplans
to ensure annual enhancement activities and monitoring are
completed.
Primary Responsibility: WMA Coordinators
Timeframe: Fall 2021 and annually
STRATEGY 2.4
Collect habitat monitoring data on Anchor WMAs,
using NBCI CIP (NBTC 2020) habitat monitoring protocols.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator, Anchor
WMA Managers, WMA Coordinators
Timeframe: Summer 2021 and annually.
STRATEGY 1.5
Develop, implement, and maintain a ranking criteria
and tier system for all WMAs statewide based on current and
potential value to Northern Bobwhite conservation.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team,
WMA Coordinators, WMA Managers
Timeframe: Spring 202210
Objective 3
Seek opportunities to improve
Northern Bobwhite habitat on public
and private lands not managed by
TWRA
STRATEGY 3.1
Identify lands, particularly in QFAs, that are not managed by TWRA but contain high-value actual and/or potential
Northern Bobwhite habitat.
Primary Responsibility: Habitat Biologists,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team,
Anchor WMA Managers
Timeframe: Winter 2020 and ongoing
STRATEGY 3.2
Encourage and incentivize the use of Best Management Practices on lands, particularly in QFAs, that are not
managed by TWRA but contain high-value actual and/or
potential Northern Bobwhite habitat.
Primary Responsibility: Habitat Biologists,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team,
Anchor WMA Managers
Timeframe: Spring 2021 and ongoing
Objective 4
Implement habitat enhancements
in priority habitat
STRATEGY 4.1
Increase the quality and/or quantity of early successional plant communities in each Anchor WMA by a minimum
of 5 percent (or 100 acres on properties smaller than 2,000
acres) annually.
Primary Responsibility: Anchor WMA Managers
Timeframe: Spring - Fall 2021 and annually
STRATEGY 4.2
Convert a minimum of 1,200 acres per TWRA Region
annually of forested lands to early successional plant communities with combined timber harvest and prescribed burn
projects.
Primary Responsibility: Forestry Managers,
Forestry Coordinator, WMA Coordinators
Timeframe: Spring - Fall 2021 and annually
STRATEGY 4.3
In all forested portions of QFAs, aim to convert forested areas to early successional plant communities and, where
necessary, to basal area of less than 30 sq ft/acre.
Primary Responsibility: WMA Managers,
Forestry Managers, WMA Coordinators,
Habitat Biologists
Timeframe: Spring - Fall 2021 and annually
Typical oak savanna that is suitable for bobwhite. Stephen Thomas11
Outreach Goal
Engage and educate stakeholders to help TWRA achieve the long-term vision of Northern Bobwhite conservation
and management.
Objective 1
STRATEGY 1.1
Coordinate and lead an annual meeting of
stakeholders, managers, researchers, and students to guide and
inform Northern Bobwhite conservation in Tennessee (TN
Quail Summit). Working groups should include, but may not
be limited to, annual accomplishments on QFAs and QDA,
research needs, current research, human dimensions, habitat
manipulation, translocation, and monitoring. All Northern
Bobwhite stakeholders in Tennessee should be invited to
participate.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team
Timeframe: Winter 2020 and annually
STRATEGY 1.2
Develop an effective outreach program to identify agricultural producers and other landowners in QFAs and directly contact to
educate and engage in Northern Bobwhite management and conservation.
Primary Responsibility: Habitat Biologists,
Outreach & Communication Division
Timeframe: Spring 2021 and ongoing
STRATEGY 1.3
Identify conservation organizations with shared
interests near QFAs and directly contact to educate and engage
in Northern Bobwhite management and conservation and emphasize the broad value of Northern Bobwhite habitat to other
wildlife species.
Primary Responsibility: Habitat Biologists
Timeframe: Spring 2021 and ongoing
STRATEGY 1.4
Seek innovative ways to identify and effectively engage new
Northern Bobwhite stakeholders.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team,
Habitat Biologists
Timeframe: Winter 2022 and ongoing
Improve and increase the frequency
of interactions with internal and
external stakeholders to encourage
engagement in Northern Bobwhite
conservation in Tennessee
Objective 2
Seek opportunities to support and
implement efforts of partners and
conservation organizations to
promote effective, science-based
Northern Bobwhite conservation
range-wide
STRATEGY 2.1
Leverage the annual TN Quail Summit outlined
in Outreach Strategy 1.1 to identify new and innovative
opportunities for cooperation and collaboration.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team
Timeframe: Spring 2023 and ongoing
STRATEGY 2.2
Regularly and actively participate in partner organizations’
meetings with a nexus for Northern Bobwhite conservation and management of early successional plant communities, including NBCI,
QF, NRCS, Audubon Society, Joint Ventures, etc.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team
Timeframe: Fall 2020 and ongoing
STRATEGY 2.3
Encourage participation by stakeholders, volunteers
and agency staff in non-TWRA Northern Bobwhite conservation activities , including the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), Avian
Knowledge Network (AKN), and eBird, etc.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team,
Avian Ecologist
Timeframe: Spring 2022 and ongoing12
Objective 3
Educate hunters and other
stakeholders about sustainable
Northern Bobwhite hunting in
Tennessee
STRATEGY 3.1
Develop mixed media educational materials about
hunting and conservation focusing on Northern Bobwhite,
including the attendant benefits to other native wildlife.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team,
Outreach & Communication Division
Timeframe: Summer - Fall 2021
STRATEGY 3.2
Distribute mixed media educational materials about
hunting and conservation to hunting and non-hunting stakeholders
identified in Outreach Strategy 1.2 and Outreach Strategy 1.3.
Primary Responsibility: Habitat Biologists,
Regional Biologists, Outreach & Communication Division,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team
Timeframe: Fall 2021 and ongoing
Objective 4
Outreach to stakeholders and
volunteers for assistance with all
Northern Bobwhite conservation
work statewide
STRATEGY 4.1
Create a network of volunteers committed to
Northern Bobwhite conservation in TN who are trained to
assist with habitat work, outreach, and population and habitat
monitoring.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Anchor WMA Managers, Habitat Biologists
Timeframe: Winter 2021 and ongoing
STRATEGY 4.2
Engage trained volunteers and conservation partners
to assist TWRA with public outreach, habitat work, annual
population and habitat monitoring, reporting, and analysis as
feasible.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Anchor WMA Managers, Habitat Biologists
Timeframe: Spring 2021 and ongoing
Objective 5
Ensure that TWRA staff employ best
management practices for Northern
Bobwhite management
STRATEGY 5.1
Provide annual education to all TWRA staff involved
in Northern Bobwhite management to ensure staff are
knowledgeable and educated on current research and best
management practices.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team, Avian Ecologist
Timeframe: Winter 2020 and annually
STRATEGY 5.2
Create and maintain a manual of Best Management
Practices to guide habitat and population monitoring and
inventory efforts.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator
Timeframe: Winter 2021-2022 and ongoing
STRATEGY 5.3
Create and maintain a Northern Bobwhite Management
Team that is led by the Species Coordinator and comprised of at least
one representative from Forestry, Private Lands, WMAs and the Outreach & Communication Division. The team should meet at least 4
times a year to guide management of Northern Bobwhite and ensure
the implementation of this Plan.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Species Program Manager
Timeframe: Winter 2020 and four times annually13
Population Goal
Increase the number of self-sustaining populations of Northern Bobwhite across Tennessee through innovative management
efforts, effective partnerships, and improved inventory and monitoring.
Objective 1
Monitor the status of Northern Bobwhite
populations in QFAs and QDAs
STRATEGY 1.1
Annually assess Northern Bobwhite populations in
QFAs and QDAs using methodologies based on the most current NBCI CIP Population Monitoring Protocols (Morgan et al.
2016).
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
QFA and QDA Managers, Habitat Biologists
Timeframe: Summer 2020 and ongoing
STRATEGY 1.2
Share monitoring data with appropriate partners to
ensure effective range-wide management.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Avian Ecologist
Timeframe: Winter 2020 and ongoing
STRATEGY 1.3
Use monitoring data to develop and adapt future management strategies including season dates, bag limits, and areas
open to harvest.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Regional Biologists
Timeframe: Spring 2022 and Spring 2024
STRATEGY 1.4
Expand inventory and monitoring activities to areas
outside of QFAs and QDAs identified in Habitat Strategy 1.1 as
funding allows.
Primary Responsibility: Habitat Biologists,
Species Coordinator, landowners, volunteers
Timeframe: Spring 2023 and ongoing
Objective 2
Develop and implement feasible,
standardized protocols to measure
Northern Bobwhite harvest and
hunter effort annually statewide
STRATEGY 2.1
Conduct annual Tennessee Small Game, Migratory
Game Birds, and Furbearers Harvest Survey to measure Northern Bobwhite harvest and hunter effort annually.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator
Timeframe: Spring 2021 and annually
STRATEGY 2.2
Assess the feasibility and utility of measuring harvest
demographics such as sex & age classes and composition of
domestic vs. wild birds in harvest using wing barrels and/or
hunter diaries.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Regional Biologists
Timeframe: Summer 2022 and ongoing14
Research Goal
Engage in priority research ef­forts with partners to better understand the population and habitat needs of self-sustaining Northern Bobwhite populations in Tennessee.
Objective 1
Collaboratively identify areas
of critical information gaps and
guide coordinated research efforts
to benefit Northern Bobwhite
management in Tennessee
Objective 2
Document and monitor fundamental
population characteristics of
Northern Bobwhite in QFAs and
QDAs, including sex- and age-specific
survival, habitat use, mortality,
morbidity, and reproductive success
to inform best management practices
STRATEGY 1.1
Develop and fund a research project to document the
population demographics of Northern Bobwhite in QFA and
QDAs.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator
Timeframe: Winter 2020 - Fall 2024
STRATEGY 1.2
Customize CIP protocols for each QFA and QDA to
specify particulars such as sample sizes, locations, dates, etc.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Avian Ecologist, Support Biologist
Timeframe: Fall 2020 and annually
STRATEGY 2.1
Leverage annual TN Quail Summit outlined in
Outreach Strategy 1.1 to regularly share information, explore
research needs, and prioritize funding and personnel with
university researchers and partner organizations.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator
Timeframe: Spring 2022 and ongoing
Identify and rank areas for potential
Northern Bobwhite translocations
based on best translocation practices
Objective 3
STRATEGY 3.1
Using maps generated from Habitat Strategy 1.1,
identify TWRA-owned lands that meet or exceed translocation
habitat requirements of a minimum of 1,500 acres of yearround, high-quality Northern Bobwhite habitat that makes up
a minimum of 25 percent of the total acreage and ground truth
potential parcels.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team,
WMA Coordinators, WMA Managers
Timeframe: Winter 2022
STRATEGY 3.2
Develop and maintain a thorough ranking system of
all potential Northern Bobwhite translocation sites identified in
Research Strategy 3.1, that includes habitat quality, connectivity to other high-quality habitat, security of the habitat, current
density of Northern Bobwhite, and potential for future condition.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Northern Bobwhite Management Team,
WMA Coordinators, WMA Managers
Timeframe: Spring 2023 and annually
STRATEGY 2.2
Encourage graduate and undergraduate student participation in TWRA’s Northern Bobwhite management activities
through formal agreements with universities and colleges.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator
Timeframe: Fall 2020 and ongoing15
Explore the re-establishment and/or
supplementation of Northern Bobwhite
populations, using wild source
populations only, in areas identified
in Research Objective 3
Objective 4
STRATEGY 4.1
Identify source populations for wild birds in Tennessee
and from partner states.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Species Program Manager, Wildlife Division Chief
Timeframe: Summer 2023
STRATEGY 4.2
Develop specific, individualized post-release management plans for each release area identified in Research Objective 3. Plans will include long-term habitat and population
monitoring protocols.
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
WMA Managers, Regional Biologists
Timeframe: Summer 2023
Northern Bobwhite and pollinating insects need a diversity
of plants to thrive. Pollinating insects also provide food for
Bobwhite and Bobwhite chicks. Stephen Thomas
STRATEGY 4.3
Propose translocation of Northern Bobwhites, as feasible, to release sites identified in Research Objective 3, using
NBCI Northern Bobwhite Translocation Guidelines (NBCI and
NBTC 2019).
Primary Responsibility: Species Coordinator,
Species Program Manager
Timeframe: Fall 202316
Glossary
Adaptive management: The practice of conducting
management as experiments so that data can be collected and used to evaluate success of the management action and used to further refine management
programs.
Anchor Wildlife Management Area (Anchor
WMA): TWRA-owned Wildlife Management Area
situated within a Quail Focal Area that prioritizes
Northern Bobwhite habitat management.
Avian Knowledge Network: The Avian Knowledge
Network (AKN) is a collaborative effort between a
multitude of stakeholders to facilitate and enhance
bird conservation. The AKN consists of a variety
of interactive tools, data products and information,
including a database to store and analyze bird population data. http://avianknowledge.net/
Best management practices: Effective and practical management actions based on the best available
science.
Breeding Bird Survey: The BBS is a cooperative
effort between the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent
Wildlife Research Center and Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service to monitor the status and trends of North American bird populations. https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/Early successional vegetation: Plant communities dominated by annual and perennial forbs and grasses as well as brambles and pioneering woody species early in their stage of development. Early successional communities are critical for sustainable Bobwhite
populations.
eBird: An online citizen-science database of global bird sightings managed by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The data are uploaded by individuals, analyzed and made available to anyone. https://ebird.org/home
Geographic Information System (GIS): A computerized system of capturing, storing, manipulating, analyzing, managing, presenting and displaying
spatial and geographic data.
Joint Venture: Partnerships of states, federal agencies, organizations, and others that have been formed to implement conservation programs for
all species of birds across the geographic extent of species ranges. Examples include Gulf Coast Joint Venture, Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture, and Central Hardwoods Joint Venture.

Old field: Former agricultural lands that have been left fallow and early successional vegetation has developed. In Tennessee, old fields provide important nesting and brood-rearing cover for to Northern Bobwhite.

Quail Focal Areas (QFAs): A contiguous, targeted
area designed to increase the probability of achieving NBCI managed Northern Bobwhite densities
(i.e., huntable populations) through strategic habitat management efforts in the near-term.
Stakeholder: Individuals or groups that have an interest in Northern Bobwhite or are impacted by Northern Bobwhite. This includes, hunters,
non-hunters, conservation organizations, state wildlife agencies, land management agencies and man