Editing Northern bobwhite (section)

== Relationship to humans ==

===Introduced populations===

==== European Union ====

Northern bobwhite were introduced into [[Italy]] in 1927,<ref>Ghigi, 1968</ref> and are reported in the plains and hills in the northwest of the country. Other reports from the EU are in [[France]], [[Spain]], and the [[Balkans]]. As bobwhites are highly productive and popular aviary subjects, it is reasonable to expect other introductions have been made in other parts of the EU, especially in the [[United Kingdom|U.K.]] and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], where game-bird breeding, liberation, and naturalization are relatively common practices.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bobwhite Quail|url=http://www.browfarm.co.uk/peafowl/bobwhite-quail/%20Bobwhite%20Quail}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==== New Zealand ====

From 1898<ref>Ayson, L.F. 1899:1.</ref> to 1902, some 1,300 birds were imported from America and released in many parts of the North and South Islands,<ref name="autogenerated1">K.E. Westerskov, MSc, PhD. ''Complete Book of New Zealand Birds''</ref> from Northland to Southland. The bird was briefly on the Nelson game shooting licence, but: "It would seem that the committee was a little too eager in placing these Quail on the licence, or the shooters of the day were over-zealous and greedy in their bag limits, for the Virginian Quail, like the Mountain Quail were soon a thing of the past."<ref>Ann.Rep. Nelson Acclimatisation Society, 1968:38</ref> The Taranaki (Acclimatisation) Society released a few in 1900 and was confidant that in a year or two they might offer good sport; two years later, broods were reported and the species was said to be ''steadily increasing''; but after another two years they seemed ''to have disappeared'' and that was the end of them. The Otago (Acclimatisation) Society imported more in 1948,<ref>Ann. Rep. Otago Acclimatisation Society, 1948</ref> but these releases did no good.<ref>Ann. Rep. North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, 1954:21</ref><ref>''Gamekeepers for the Nation'', 1994, R.M. McDowell</ref> After 1923, no more genuinely wild birds were sighted until 1952, when a small population was found northwest of Wairoa in the Ruapapa Road area. Since then, bobwhite have been found at several localities around Waikaremoana, in farmland, open bush and along roadsides.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

More birds have been imported into [[New Zealand]] by private individuals since the 1990s and a healthy captive population is now held by backyard aviculturists and have been found to be easily cared for and bred and are popular for their song and good looks. A larger proportion of the national captive population belong to a few game preserves and game bird breeders. Though the birds would be self-sustaining in the wild if they were protected; it is tricky to guess what the effect of an annual population subsidy and hunting has on any of the original populations from the Acclimatisation Society releases.

An [[albino]] hen was present in a [[covey]] in Bayview, Hawkes Bay for a couple of seasons sometime around 2000.<ref>J.J. Holland</ref>

===Captivity===
[[File:Domesticated quail.png|thumb|Domesticated northern bobwhite]]

==== Housing ====

Bobwhites are generally compatible with most [[parrot]]s, [[softbill]]s and [[dove]]s. This species should, however, be the only ground-dwelling species in the aviary. Most individuals will do little damage to [[finch]]es, but one should watch that nests are not being crushed when the species perches at night. Single pairs are preferred, unless the birds have been raised together as a group since they were chicks. Some fighting will occur between cocks at breeding time. One cock may be capable of breeding with several hens, but the fertility seems to be highest in the eggs from the ''preferred'' hen. Aviary style is a compromise between what is tolerated by the bird and what is best for the bird. Open parrot-style type aviaries may be used, but some birds will remain flighty and shy in this situation. In a planted aviary, this species will generally settle down to become quite tame and confiding. Parents with chicks will roost on the ground, forming a circular arrangement, with heads facing outwards. In the early morning and late afternoon, the cock will utter his call, which, although not loud, carries well and may offend noise-sensitive neighbors. Most breeding facilities keep birds in breeding groups on wire up off the ground. 

==== Feeding ====

In the wild the northern bobwhite feeds on a variety of weed and grass seeds, as well as insects. These are generally collected on the ground or from low foliage. Birds in the aviary are easily catered for with a commercial small seed mix (finch, budgerigar, or small parrot mix) when supplemented with greenfeed. Live food is not usually necessary for breeding, but will be ravenously accepted. High protein foods such as chicken grower crumble are more convenient to supply and will be useful for the stimulation of breeding birds. Extra [[calcium]] is required, especially by laying hens; it can be supplied in the form of shell grit, or [[cuttlefish]] bone.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coles |first1=Brian H. |title=Handbook of Avian Medicine |date=2009 |publisher=Saunders Ltd. |isbn=978-0-7020-2874-8 |pages=309–334 |doi=10.1016/B978-0-7020-2874-8.X0001-6 |edition=Second }}</ref>

==== Breeding ====
If a nesting site and privacy are not provided, hens will lay anywhere within an open aviary. Hens that do this may, in a season, lay upwards of 80 eggs, which can be taken for artificial incubation and the chicks hand-raised. Hens with nesting cover that do make a nest (on the ground) will build up 8–25 eggs in a clutch, with eggs being laid daily.<ref>{{cite web |last1=The Cornell Lab of Ornithology |title=Northern Bobwhite |url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Bobwhite/lifehistory |website=All About Birds.org |publisher=Cornell University |access-date=10 June 2019}}</ref>

==== Mutations and hybrids ====
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2014}}
Some captive bobwhite hybrids recorded are between [[scaled quail|blue quail]] ([[scaled quail]]),<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McCabe |first=Robert A. |date=1954 |title=Hybridization between the Bob-White and Scaled Quail |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4081671 |journal=The Auk |volume=71 |issue=3 |pages=293–297 |doi=10.2307/4081671 |jstor=4081671 |issn=0004-8038}}</ref> [[Gambel's quail]], [[California quail]], and [[mountain quail]]. It has long been suggested that there are [[Japanese quail]] hybrids being bred commercially; however, there is a distinct lack of photographic proof to substantiate this. Inter-subspecific hybrids have been common.

Several mutations have long been established, including Californian Jumbo, Wisconsin Jumbo, Northern Giant, Albino, Snowflake, Blonde, Fawn, Barred, Silver, and Red.