Listen to the northern bobwhite
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the northern bobwhite
The northern bobwhite is a bird in the family Odontophoridae (order Galliformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “near threatened”. Adults have a wingspan of about 35 cm and weigh around 171 g.
What does the northern bobwhite sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as bobwhite. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
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.
More from the family Odontophoridae
Frequently asked questions
What does a northern bobwhite sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the northern bobwhite on this page, including its bobwhite. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the northern bobwhite endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the northern bobwhite as “near threatened”.
What family does the northern bobwhite belong to?
The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) belongs to the family Odontophoridae in the order Galliformes.
Sources & credits
- Bobwhite by G. McGrane – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q142651 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Northern bobwhite – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Matt Tillett from Cumberland, MD, USA – CC BY 2.0