Colinus virginianus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), also known as the Virginia quail or (in its home range) bobwhite quail, is a ground-dwelling bird native to Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Cuba, with introduced populations elsewhere in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of the group of species known as New World quail (Odontophoridae). They were initially placed with the Old World quail in the pheasant family (Phasianidae), but are not particularly closely related. The name "bobwhite" is an onomatopoeic derivation from its characteristic whistling call. Despite its secretive nature, the northern bobwhite is one of the most familiar quails in eastern North America, because it is frequently the only quail in its range. Habitat degradation has contributed to the northern bobwhite population in eastern North America declining by roughly 85% from 1966 to 2014. This population decline is apparently range-wide and continuing.
There are 20 subspecies of northern bobwhite, many of which are hunted extensively as game birds. One subspecies, the masked bobwhite (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi), is listed as critically endangered with wild populations located in the northern Mexican state of Sonora and a reintroduced population in Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 4 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Padre Island National Seashore, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Bobwhite sighting in Padre Island National Seashore on a given day, based on 70 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 86th most-seen of the 171 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Bobwhite in Padre Island National Seashore on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Bobwhite sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Northern Bobwhite sightings, Padre Island National Seashore ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Cañón del Sumidero National Park (Mexico, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Bobwhite is recorded against all the birds logged in Padre Island National Seashore (70 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
