A proposed federal government species-at-risk recovery plan could mean good news for the northern bobwhite. The diminutive quail once hunted in Ontario is now federally listed as an endangered species under the Species at Risk Act.
In Canada, the only natural population is currently restricted to Walpole Island on Lake St. Clair and possibly the adjacent mainland.
The proposed recovery strategy, recently posted for public comment, covers a wide variety of management options, including habitat restoration, improving habitat connectivity, population monitoring, invasive species education, predator management, and potential reintroductions.
In the short term, the priority is to improve the health and sustainability of the remaining native population of northern bobwhite on Walpole Island.
“There is no question that northern bobwhite need better habitat in many areas of their Ontario range, but we would like to see efforts focus a little more on bringing birds back to locations where habitat has been restored to help jumpstart recovery,” said Matt DeMille, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) manager of fish and wildlife services.
Originally published in the April 2018 issue of Ontario Out of Doors
