This is Bird Note.

More than a few birds take their names from the distinctive calls they make.

And maybe the most vivid example is the call of the Bobwhite.

It's the only quail native to eastern North America, officially known as the northern Bob White.

This chunky quail lives in brushy open country, grasslands, farmlands, and the edges of woods.

Bob whites are smartly feathered in rust and brown with bold face markings.

Except during breeding season,

Bob whites form covies of up to 20 birds. They're one of the most economically important game birds in the U.S. But Bob whites are in trouble in most of their native range. Breaking habitat

into smaller, separate pieces poses a major problem for the quail,

as does the extensive use in farming of herbicides to control weeds. In addition, the birds are not

adapted to the high density and close spacing of pine plantations. As a result, Bobwhite numbers

have plummeted. Like a number of other species

of grasslands and open country, Bobwhites will require more focused management of their habitat

to meet the stiff conservation challenges they now face. For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.

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at BirdNote Radio.