Associate Professor Mark McConnell in Mississippi State’s Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, grew up hearing stories about quail on his uncle’s farm in Rayville, Louisiana, but the birds have declined in population for decades.

“My great uncle always talked about how quail used to be everywhere. There was this ghost on the landscape that everyone said was a big deal, but my generation didn't get to experience it. I was curious,” he said.

That curiosity drove McConnell to read everything he could about “the prince of gamebirds.” While earning his undergraduate degree in wildlife science from Louisiana State University and working for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, he came across publications written by Wes Burger, an MSU wildlife professor.

“Dr. Burger authored most of the publications I came across, and I discovered he was the expert to learn from if you wanted to study quail,” McConnell said.

McConnell pursued master’s and doctoral degrees at MSU under Burger, now dean of the College of Forest Resources and director of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center. After completing his Ph.D., McConnell served as assistant professor of wildlife extension at the University of Georgia before returning to MSU in 2019.

He now is the coordinator of the James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Upland Gamebird Ecology and the Bryan Endowment for Bobwhite Restoration.

“Jimmy Bryan has supported research on upland birds and prairie conservation with our department for more than 30 years, and James C. Kennedy has been a great supporter of programs across the college,” McConnell said. “These endowments let us pursue research questions that directly impact public and private land management across the country.”

Through his research, McConnell tries to advance upland bird conservation across the Southeast. In partnership with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the Jones Center at Ichauway in Georgia, he leads telemetry projects on quail movement and the effects of fire, feeding and management practices. His research also includes studying young quail and turkey behavior, a multi-state monitoring of avian diversity in Conservation Reserve Program lands, and a USDA-funded collaboration with MSU Associate Professor Kristine Evans to create an online decision support tool for landowners.

“We strive to have a positive impact on the landscape regardless of ownership, and we try hard to create programs and provide technical assistance that help landowners be successful in achieving their conservation goals,” he said.

McConnell’s main motivation, though, is his students. He has mentored 17 graduate students at MSU, including his five current mentees—one doctoral and four master’s students.

“My students are the main reason I do this. Being able to mentor the next generation of well-trained, motivated professionals working in conservation across the landscape is what matters the most,” he said.

McConnell’s favorite class to teach is Principles of Conservation in Agricultural Landscapes, part of the wildlife agriculture concentration he co-advises with Extension Instructor James Callicut.

“I’ve spent my entire career trying to create more quail habitat in working landscapes, and this course forces me to think about what I’ve experienced: what’s worked and what hasn’t, and what other people have had success and failure with, and combine that into a course that trains students so they’re more effective,” he said.

The wildlife agriculture concentration is one of the few of its kind, with about 40 students enrolled.

“Our wildlife ag concentration is the only concentration in the country in a wildlife program that focuses on agricultural landscapes. That is unique, and we attract a lot of students from around the U.S.,” he said.

McConnell and his wife, Mary Elizabeth, encourage their children, ages 4 to 12, to spend time outdoors.

“It doesn’t matter if my kids are hunting or playing in the mud with sticks. What matters is that they discover their own love for the outdoors,” McConnell said.

As he restores quail habitat and mentors the next generation of conservation leaders, McConnell hopes his children will grow up in a world where quail aren’t absent, but where their familiar calls echo across the landscape.