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The bobwhites (Colinus) consist of 3 grassland-associated, allopatric species of New World quails: the northern bobwhite (C. virginianus) ranges from the eastern US to Guatemala; the black-throated bobwhite (C. nigrogularis) in the Yucat�n Peninsula, Nicaragua, and Honduras; and the crested bobwhite (C. cristatus) from Guatemala to northern Brazil. We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from museum specimens to study the phylogeography of the 3 species and evaluated the conclusions using ecological niche models. Colinus was composed of 2 deeply divergent lineages, the crested bobwhite and northern and black-throated bobwhites, both of which were genetically distinct. The northern bobwhite was displayed evidence of past demographic and geographic expansion, but no phylogeographic structure. Ecological niche modeling was congruent with a recent range expansion for the northern bobwhite from Late Pleistocene refugia in Mexico and the southeastern US. The black-throated bobwhites from the Yucat�n Peninsula were distinct from those in Nicaragua, with little evidence of population expansion. Ecological niche modeling suggested that the fragmented distribution of the black-throated bobwhite has existed for the past 130,000 years. Although the crested bobwhite displayed little evidence of population expansion, the mtDNA data revealed 3-4 geographically and genetically distinct lineages. Results of niche modeling suggest that the crested bobwhite had a much wider distribution in Central and South America during the Last Glacial Maximum. All 3 species exhibited evidence of range contraction 130,000 years ago during the Last Interglacial. Given the sensitivity of all 3 bobwhites to climatic cycles, managers should consider impacts of current global warming when crafting conservation plans.