Minimal quail mortality observed during Hurricane Debby

Aug 15, 2024

The immediate effect of hurricanes on bobwhite are dependent on the age of the quail as well as the amount and duration of rainfall.

Typically, hurricane season and quail breeding season overlap but adult quail and older broods tend to fare better due to their greater thermoregulation capability.

During the recent passing of Hurricane Debby, which made landfall August 5 near Steinhatchee, Florida as a Category 1 storm, researchers at Tall Timbers and Livingston Place observed minimal quail mortality.

At Tall Timbers in northern Leon County, only 2.5% mortality of adult quail was observed. At the time of the storm, almost all of the monitored broods were greater than 3 weeks old, however the one monitored brood under a week old did not survive the storm.

While we did not observe any nest flooding or nest failure related to the rainfall, three out of our twelve nests were depredated within a few days following the storm.

At Livingston Place in Jefferson County, researchers also saw minimal effects to bobwhite, despite the property taking a harder hit from Hurricane Debby.

We only observed 1.5% mortality of adults in the days following the hurricane.

Similar to Tall Timbers, most of the broods were greater than 3 weeks old, and the majority of the broods less than a week old survived the storm.

Finally, none of the nests failed during or soon after the storm.

In summary, we did not observe any dramatic storm effects. Adult bobwhite handled the rainfall well, and based on brood observations and the average age of broods, there is little concern about the effect on this year’s bobwhite production at either property due to Hurricane Debby.

About the Author
Karl Etters
A Tallahassee native, Karl has a background in journalism and an even deeper background in exploring North Florida's wild spaces. Merge the two, and he's Tall Timbers' communication coordinator. When he's not spending time with family and friends, he can be found fly fishing, hunting, biking or walking the woods looking for turkeys.
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