Blue Quail Quiz
Anonymous wisdom espouses that "experience is the strictest teacher; she gives the test first, and the lesson afterwards." I like tests. I use them in practically every program I conduct. At the very least, a good quiz can set the stage for a good educational outing by revealing what one doesn't already know. An humbled student is a more attentive student.
This past week, a Blue Quail Appreciation Day was held at the Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area south of Alpine. As the test instrument used at QUADs was weighted heavily towards bobwhites, I revised it to address questions more pertinent west of the Pecos. See how you would have rated. Answers are at the end of the quiz.
1. Blue quail can be aged by examining what? (A) spur length (B) wing feathers (C) crest length (D) molar teeth (E) bill length
2. Which of the following has been shown to provide excellent nesting cover for scaled quail in west Texas? (A) tobosa grass (B) little bluestem (C) catclaw (D) mesquite (E) all of the above
3. How many "parts" are there to a quail’s stomach? (A) one (B) two (C) three (D) four
4. True or false. Blue quail need water to survive.
5. True or false. In areas where blue quail and bobwhites occur together, the blue quail generally have higher survival rates than bobwhites.
6. How can a blue quail hen be distinguished from a cock? (A) presence of spurs on cock
(B) coloration of the crest (C) coloration of the throat (D) appearance of breast feathers
(E) cannot distinguish between sexes
7. Which of the following is an important food item for blue quail over most of west Texas?
(A) mesquite beans (B) tasajillo fruits (C) bristlegrass seed (D) all of the above
8. Which of the following is considered to be the “perfect quail food”? (A) corn (B) milo
(C) doveweed (D) sunflower seed (E) insects
9. True or false. Blue quail have been observed to move distances in excess of 50 miles.
10. In a "good" quail year, about what percent of the hunter’s bag would consist of juvenile birds? (A) 30% (B) 50% (C) 65% (D) 80%
11. Which of the following groups of animals tends to be the greatest threat to blue quail in west Texas during the breeding season? (A) mammalian predators (B) avian predators (C) snakes (D) feral cats (E) parasites
12. True or false. Research in west Texas has confirmed that "moist-soil sites" like those formed by spreader dams provide important nesting habitats for blue quail.
13. True or false. Bobwhites and blue quail will interbreed, and the resulting cross is sterile.
14. Which of the following is often used as a loafing covert for blue quail in west Texas?
(A) farm machinery (B) cholla (C) allthorn (D) lotebush (E) all of the above
15. Which of the following technologies has been especially useful to quail scientists?
(A) radio telemetry (B) radial keratotomy (C) Global Positioning Systems (D) Geographic Information Systems (E) satellite imagery
16. Which of the following is the most important factor that determines blue quail populations on an annual basis? (A) fire ants (B) raccoon numbers (C) coyote numbers (D) hunting pressure
(E) weather
17. About how many potential nest sites should a manager seek to provide per acre in order to provide optimal nesting cover for blue quail? (A) 50 (B) 80 (C) 125 (D) 160 (E) 250
18. What does prickly pear provide for blue quail? (A) food (B) water (C) nesting cover
(D) escape cover (E) all of the above
19. About how many acres typically comprise a blue quail's "home range"? (A) less than 25
(B) 30 to 50 (C) 80 to 200 (D) over 800
20. True or false. Prescribed burning has been shown to be an effective tool for managing blue quail habitats in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas.
Answers: 1. B. 2. A. 3. B (proventriculus and gizzard). 4. True. 5. True. 6. C. 7. D. 8. E. 9. True.
10. D. 11. A. 12. False. 13. True. 14. E. 15. A. 16. E. 17. E. 18. E. 19. C. 20. False.
So, how did you score? Over 15 correct, and you qualify as an honorary "Blues Brother". Ten to 15 correct, and you can crow around most quail hunting crowds. Five to 10 correct, about average. Less than five correct? No recess for you. The next Blue Quail Appreciation Day is slated for October 10 in Andrews. I'll see you there for tutoring.
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