Stubble Quail abundance survey results

The results of Victoria’s second statewide abundance survey estimated there were 6.7 million Stubble Quail in Victoria.

The results of Victoria’s second statewide abundance survey estimated there were 6.7 million Stubble Quail in Victoria.

The survey was conducted in January 2023 at 71 randomly selected Stubble Quail habitat sites across native grasslands, dryland crop and non-native pasture.

Teams of three wildlife ecologists walked 269 km of transects on public and private land, flushing and counting Stubble Quail numbers at each site.

The highest population densities were located in native grassland areas while lower densities were observed in areas of cropping and non-native pasture.

This is the second survey of an ongoing annual monitoring program to ensure the long-term sustainability of Victoria’s Stubble Quail hunting season.

The first pilot survey conducted in January 2022 estimated the Victorian Stubble Quail population at 3.1 million birds. However, an evaluation of the survey approach found that movement of birds away from the observer resulted in a small effective search area as well as substantial undercounting.

In 2023, refinements were made to the survey methodology to improve efficiency, address bird movement and increase geographic coverage by including more survey sites and increasing the number of ecologists conducting the surveys. The revised survey method was found to provide a more efficient and reliable means of estimating Stubble Quail abundance.

The Victorian Government’s Sustainable Hunting Action Plan 2021 - 2024 commits to undertaking ongoing quail abundance monitoring.

Data collected will be used to track population trends and improve our understanding of the ecology and sustainable management of this native game bird.

The survey was conducted by experienced independent ecologists from Wildlife Unlimited Pty Ltd. The Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research undertook the data analysis and prepared the Abundance Estimates for Stubble Quail in Victoria report.

For more information visit Quail Research.