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Platte River Status: A common permanent resident west to Lake McConaughy. Populations fluctuate considerably between years, largely in response to variable weather conditions. Tout (1947) stated that in the early 1900's, northern bobwhite was nearly extirpated in Lincoln County. Rosche (1979) considered northern bobwhite a permanent resident in the lower North Platte River Valley. Mohler (1944) observed that in 1942, almost every area with suitable habitat in Keith County supported northern bobwhite.

Breeding Range: A common nesting species in the Platte River Valley physiographic region, and locally on the Dissected Plain. Fairly common locally on the Eastern Plain. Rare or absent in the Sandhills, and on the Western Plain.

Breeding Population: The population in 1979-1980 was estimated at 10,500 breeding pairs. Northern bobwhite made up 0.3% of the total breeding bird numbers in the study area those years.

Habitat: We recorded the highest mean breeding density in shelterbelts (57.0 pairs/km²), followed by lowland forest (12.1 pairs/km²), prairie wetland (6.9 pairs/km²), wet prairie (1.5 pairs/km²), domestic hayland (0.5 pairs/km²), and upland prairie (<0.2 pairs/km²). Nests are typically placed near wooded vegetation in fencerows or along forest edges near open grasslands and cropland. Rising (1974) stated only that northern bobwhite was common in brushy edges in western Kansas. Northern bobwhite prefers areas of about 50% exposed ground and 50% herbaceous and wooded vegetation (Rosene 1969); each covey requires one to three shrub thickets 0.05 to 0.2 ha in size. In Kansas, northern bobwhite typically forage in open areas in the early morning, then move to wooded areas until late afternoon when they resume foraging in the open until evening (Robinson 1957). Preferred nesting habitat in Illinois contained scattered shrubs and briars interspersed with a moderately dense growth of herbaceous vegetation (Klimstra and Roseberry 1975, Roseberry and Klimstra 1984). Nests are frequently placed at the ecotone between grass and bare soil areas (Rosene 1969). Nest success in Illinois was highest in idle fields and lowest in hayfields (Klimstra and Roseberry 1975). Predators caused 55% of the failures among 863 nests studied by Klimstra and Roseberry (1975); farming activities caused 18% of the failures.

Effect of Habitat Alteration: Northern bobwhite has benefited from the encroachment of wooded vegetation which has provided a variety of micro-habitat types to be exploited. The mosaic pattern of grassland, wooded vegetation and cropland is beneficial to this species, although intensified agricultural production can be detrimental in some areas. Rising (1974) summarized several earlier writers who attributed northern bobwhite population expansion in western Kansas to the advance of human settlement there. However, loss of northern bobwhite in Illinois was correlated with the quality of their habitat, especially the availability of grain foods (Roseberry 1964). Deteriorating habitat conditions in southern Illinois caused an 85% decline in a northern bobwhite population (Roseberry et al. 1979). Secondary succession eliminated preferred food species, replaced woody and grassy nesting cover, and reduced the amount of suitable roosting habitat.

Nesting Data: We found four broods during late June 1980 at the Mormon Island Crane Meadows, Hall County. Flightless young were observed at Mormon Island on 17 July 1984. A female was found incubating 10 eggs at Mormon Island on 12 August 1983. A nest with 10 addled eggs were found 17 July 1983. Egg dates in Kansas extend from 1 May to 20 September (Johnsgard 1979).