For bird enthusiasts, hearing about the negative impacts of habitat loss on bobwhite quail isn’t anything new. In fact, this issue have been largely blamed for North America’s shrinking bobwhite population. However, parasites may have a larger effect on wild quail than previously thought, especially in Texas and Oklahoma.

“Something happened,” said Dr. Ron Kendall, the founder of Texas Tech's Wildlife Toxicology Lab. “We saw innumerable quail in the summer of 2010. Conditions were perfect. But by that fall, the quail were gone.” That year, biologists, wildlife managers, researchers, and hunters rallied together and launched "Operation Idiopathic Decline."

The operation brought together multiple universities. Scientists explored the potential causes of the quail population crash. “We looked at pesticides, environmental contaminants, viruses, bacteria, and parasites,” said Dr. Kendall. “Lo and behold, we saw these parasitic worms called helminths in the birds.” 

Read more at projectupland.com.