Vol II, pp. The male is distinctive for his cinammon breast, black head and throat, and a varying amount of white above the eye. Females lack the black head and cinnamon breast, but instead are a mottled brown above with a buff head and white breast. Masked bobwhites make their homes in open grasslands, semi-arid desert scrub, and in desert grasslands. A cool weather covey rarely exceeds 20 birds, and Masked bobwhites usually remain in these groups until late June, when mating bonds form and pairs separate from the covey to nest.
Bobwhites build their nests on the ground, and therefore require thick cover for concealment.
If the rains are delayed or absent, the birds may not nest that season. This subspecies of quail has always been restricted to the level plains and river valleys of Sonora, Mexico, and extreme south-central Arizona. By the turn of the century, the Masked bobwhite was eliminated from southern Arizona when native grasslands were depleted by cattle grazing. By the time the ranching reached Sonora in 1930, many birds had already disappeared from Mexico as well. Due to its secretive behavior, the current population distribution in Mexico is difficult to estimate.