If we remove mesquite, are we destroying habitat for Northern Bobwhite? That’s an important question for hunters, wildlife biologists, and anyone generally concerned with grassland bird conservation. Biologists at the Matador Wildlife Management Area (WMA) have been working hard to remove mesquite from the WMA for many years and while they think that’s the right thing to do for birds, they wanted to make sure.
Our results show that there are more bobwhite on Matador than off. In addition, the density of bobwhite is lower in areas with higher mesquite cover.
In 2019, Playa Lakes Joint Venture began a several years long collaboration with Texas Parks and Wildlife at Matador WMA to evaluate how quail and other grasslands birds respond to the removal of mesquite. We took advantage of a large-scale breeding bird monitoring program, Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR), to compare results between data collected on Matador WMA where active mesquite management is taking place and data collected off the WMA in areas where mesquite management is not happening.
Using the IMBCR protocol to collect data, we divided Matador WMA evenly into 0.6 mile X 0.6 mile (1 km x 1 km) approximate grids. We removed any grids that had a high density of juniper, then randomly selected 30 grids to visit and count birds. During May in 2019, 2022, and 2023, field technicians trained to identify birds by sight and sound collected data in these areas, which we call our treatment grids.
At the same time, technicians from Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, collected data at control areas, grids off the Matador on private land where we assume mesquite management is not happening at the same intensity, if at all, as on the WMA.
So, is removing mesquite good or bad for bobwhite? Our results show that there are more bobwhite on Matador than off. In addition, the density of bobwhite is lower in areas with higher mesquite cover. This pattern is true for other grassland birds as well.
So, if you’re interested in improving habitat and increasing the density for quail, reducing or removing the mesquite canopy will help you achieve that goal. For advice on how to do this contact the Matador WMA office at 806-492-3405 or your local TPWD District Biologist.
Pasture at Matador before treatments began (March 2011). Note the dense mesquite cover.
The same pasture in July 2023 after herbicide and prescribed fire restoration treatments.