Northern bobwhite quail eat an average of 5,000 to 10,000 ticks over their lifetime.
It was a remarkable sight as the young quail quickly made their way into the environment after being released.
The northern bobwhite quail were let out at the Hempstead Harbor Nature Trail just before noon. Some ran off on the ground, while others flew away as soon as the cages opened.
Seventy-five volunteers helped raise the birds before they could be released into the wild.
Teachers also kept the eggs in their classrooms, incorporating them into lessons for students about the animals and their life cycles.
Some of those students took time off their summer break to watch the quail being released Friday.
The hope is that the birds will help control the tick population along the North Shore nature trail.
North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said the program provides a good organic alternative for controlling ticks.
"This is a great day to educate about ticks, you know, checking your skin. Obviously, we all know we should be putting sunscreen on now, we need to be checking for ticks on our skin. So, releasing quail is a way to help reestablish this species, which has diminished in years, we reestablish, they eat the ticks, and we are not putting pesticides into the environment," she said.
Northern bobwhite quail are native to Long Island. However, according to the State Department of Environmental Conservation, their population has been declining at an alarming rate for decades.
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