Abstract:
In order to determine the present food habits of the bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) on the Salamonie Reservoir Area in Wabash and Huntington Counties in Indiana, 169 droppings were collected and analyzed during the period October, 1971, through March, 1972. Information gained from the study should aid in management planning and provide background information for future studies on the area.Frequency of occurrence and volume percentage figures were determined for the thirty-one items identified. By total volume the items were 63.51 plant material, 9.81 animal (insect), and 26.7% grit and debris. Nine of these thirty-one items were present in amounts greater than 1.0 volume percent and comprised 96.4% of the total volume. Item frequency and quantity varied by season and area. Principle foods in order of decreasing volume percent were: corn, insect parts, wild grape, black locust, ragweed, miscellaneous plant material, and sumac, Insects were the major fall food item while corn was the major winter and spring food item. Emergency foods, those which will sustain quail for short periods of time in the absence of more nutritious foods (sumac, wild grape, black locust, and multiflora rose), accounted for 9.7% of the volume. The data indicates the need for additional food plantings in solo of the study areas.