Each month, we get to know one of the state’s many wonderful and quirky critters. Latin Name: Colinus virginianusSize: Six to seven inches tallTexas habitat: Open grasslands, shrublands, and prairies This beloved game bird’s lonesome, high-pitched whistle—“Bob-white! Poor-bob-white!”—marks the turning of the seasons across Texas. During the typical mating period, in April and May, male bobwhite quails often perch on fence posts, the better for the ladies to spot them while they sing. And in late October, hunters celebrate the start of quail season: a time-honored tradition of pacing through tall grass alongside a loyal bird dog, waiting for the moment when a covey of a dozen or so quail flushes, or scatters, in a noisy explosion of feathers. But bobwhites are in serious trouble, having declined…
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