Tracking Victorian Stubble Quail

A study of the spatial ecology and survivorship of Victorian Stubble Quail.

This research is conducted in accordance with approvals under the Wildlife Act 1975 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986.

Project overview

The Game Management Authority (GMA) has partnered with Deakin University to conduct Australian-first research to better understand the movements, habitat use and behaviour of Stubble Quail across Victoria and throughout Australia.

As part of this project, up to 100 Stubble Quail will be fitted with lightweight solar-powered GPS tracking devices over the next three years at locations across Victoria. While Stubble Quail are one of Victoria’s most widespread native grassland birds, surprisingly little is known about how they move across the landscape, where they breed, what habitats they rely on and what factors influence their movement and survival.

The GPS tracking devices will record the Stubble Quails’ location, movement, and behavioural patterns 24 hours a day, allowing researchers to monitor how they respond to environmental conditions, agricultural practices and habitat preferences.

The findings will help improve our understanding of the ecology and sustainable management of Stubble Quail hunting in Victoria, and will complement the GMA's existing harvest and abundance monitoring programs.

The research began in May 2026 and will continue to 2029. Results will be published in a PhD thesis and technical report following conclusion of the research. Manuscripts will also be submitted to peer-reviewed scientific journals.

This project is funded as part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to ensuring Stubble Quail hunting remains responsible and sustainable.

Number of Quail currently fitted with trackers

If you find a tracker or leg band, please contact research@gma.vic.gov.au

Benefits beyond hunting

The benefits of this research extend beyond hunting.

Researchers will also collect blood and swab samples from captured birds to investigate potential exposure to pesticides and diseases. This could include testing for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), contributing valuable information to broader wildlife health surveillance.

We will also improve our understanding of the influence of land management practices on the Stubble Quail and whether improvements could be made.

Tracker technology

The quail are safely captured at night by driving through paddocks, flushing them and using spotlights to locate the birds once landed, as the birds instinctively freeze and seek shelter in the shadows. A researcher then approaches from behind the bird and catches it with a hand net.

Once captured the quail are carefully fitted with a GPS-5G-Bluetooth accelerometer tracking device using a lightweight leg-loop harness.

The leg-loop harness is made from flexible silicone tubing designed to degrade over time and break after one or two years, allowing the tracking device to detach from the bird.

The transmitter weighs about three grams (approximately three per cent of the Stubble Quail’s body mass) and sits on the quail’s back.

Each tracker records and stores information on the quail’s location and behaviour – including feeding, resting, flying, walking and breeding – at least every six hours. If the quail moves temporarily outside of 5G mobile network coverage, the tracker can store location, activity and behavioural data for more than three months until connectivity is restored.

During the first year of the study, up to 20 Stubble Quail will be captured and fitted with tracking devices as part of a pilot study. This initial phase will evaluate the performance of the tracking technology and inform any adjustments to the methodology before the study is expanded in subsequent years.

The graphs and map below show the distance travelled and daily activity from where the quail have travelled since they were fitted with the tracking devices.