Subfamily Perdicinae Scientific name Francolinus afer Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Higher classification Francolin | |
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Similar Francolin, Bird, Pternistis, Coqui francolin, Cape spurfowl | ||
The red-necked spurfowl or red-necked francolin (Pternistis afer), is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.
Contents
Range and status
The red-necked spurfowl breeds across the central belt of Africa and down the east coast to South Africa. Widespread and common throughout its large range, the red-necked spurfowl is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Description
It is 25–38 cm in length, with a significant size difference between the subspecies, of which there are some seven or eight. It is a generally dark francolin, brown above and black-streaked grey or white underparts. The bill, bare facial skin, neck and legs are bright red.
Habits
The red-necked spurfowl is a wary species, keeping to deep cover, although it sometimes feeds in open scrub or cultivation if disturbance is limited and there are thickets nearby. The nest is a bare scrape, and three to nine eggs are laid.
Races
Many races have been described. Most of them are subsumed under 7 to 8 taxa, but these differ depending on the author:
