Red-necked Spurfowl | |
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![]() Pternistis afer loangwae | |
Information | |
Common Name | Red-necked Francolin |
Range | central belt of Africa and down the east coast to South Africa. |
Scientific Classification | |
Kingdom | Animalia |
Phylum | Chordata |
Class | Aves |
Order | Galliformes |
Family | Phasianidae Perdicinae |
Genus | Pternistis |
Species | Pternistis afer |
Conservation Status | |
![]() Least Concern |
The Red-necked spurfowl or red-necked francolin (Pternistis afer), is a species of francolin in the Phasianidae family.
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.
Distribution 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.
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:
Name | |
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Pternistis afer afer
(Müller, 1776) |
western Angola & northwestern Namibia | |
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Pternistis afer castaneiventer
(Gunning & Roberts, 1911) |
eastern South Africa | |
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Pternistis afer harterti
(Reichenow, 1909) |
Rwanda, Burundi to northern Tanzania | |
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Pternistis afer lehmanni
(Latham, 1801) |
Limpopo and Mpumalanga, South Africa | |
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Pternistis afer leucoparaeus
(Latham, 1801) |
southeastern Kenya | |
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Pternistis afer loangwae
(C.H.B.Grant & Mackworth-Praed, 1934) |
eastern Zambia & Malawi | |
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Pternistis afer notatus
(Roberts, 1924) |
Western Cape, South Africa | |
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Pternistis afer swynnertoni
(W.L.Sclater, 1921) |
eastern Zimbabwe & central Mozambique |