Vegetation structure linked to nest site selection and nest survival of northern bobwhite

Abstract Nesting success of northern bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ) is related to the interaction of habitat and predators because vegetation can act as a buffer to obscure visual and olfactory nest cues. While vegetation characteristics increasing nest site selection are well established, evidence of which particular characteristics, if any, improve nest success is conflicting. We aimed to determine whether bobwhites choose nest sites with characteristics that also influence nest survival. We studied bobwhite in the Rolling Plains of Texas, where variable precipitation and widespread agriculture have particularly large impacts on quail habitat. Across 2 breeding seasons, we monitored nest fates and measured vegetation characteristics at 211 nests and paired random sites within 200 m of each nest. We found that bobwhites selected nest substrates 42 cm in height on average, with more grass and shrub cover but less bare ground than the surrounding available habitat. A higher proportion of grass at nest sites, greater visual obstruction at and surrounding nests, and less litter cover in the area surrounding a nest corresponded to increased nest survival. Our study highlights the importance of continued management practices—such as grazing management, disking, and prescribed burning—as key strategies for enhancing bobwhite nesting success in semi‐arid environments.