Preference of Pen-Reared Northern Bobwhite Among Native Plant Seeds of the Sand Sagebrush-Mixed Prairie

Abstract

Adult northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) are largely granivorous, primarily eating seeds produced from grasses and forbs. Our objective was to determine northern bobwhite preference among seeds of 45 plant species associated with sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia)–mixed prairie. A preference existed among the 45 plant species by weight of seed consumed and percentage of seed in diet (P ≤ 0.05) and on the basis of a cluster analysis of these variables. Five species were categorized into most preferred for food. These included, in order of preference: switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), Rocky Mountain bee plant (Peritoma serrulata), annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus), sand lovegrass (Eragrostis trichodes), and false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides). Thirteen plants were categorized into intermediately preferred for food, and 27 species were categorized into least preferred for food. The sand sagebrush–mixed prairie community supports a broad range of plants and animals. Improving rangeland conditions by employing conservative grazing management, especially during drought, or by planting a greater variety of native grasses, sunflowers, shrubs, forbs, and legumes, when reestablishing marginal crop lands, would improve the habitat and diet quality for northern bobwhite and other wildlife species.