Gray-striped Spurfowl
Pternistis griseostriatus
Large and brownish francolin that is endemic to Angola. Mostly buffy brown, with pale stripes on the back and chestnut stripes on the underparts. The legs are red and the bill mostly red. Found in gallery forest, thickets, scrub, and adjacent cultivated areas. Generally shy and unapproachable. The common vocalization is a duet of raspy and clucking notes. Occurs alongside Red-necked Francolin, but paler overall, without large patches of red bare skin on the throat and face.
Taxonomy
The grey-striped spurfowl was described in 1890 by the Scottish ornithologist William Robert Ogilvie-Grant from a single specimen and given the binomial name Francolinus griseostriatus. Although Ogilvie-Grant specified the habitat as the "Congo River", the type locality has been designated as the Cuanza River area of Angola. The specific epithet griseostriatus combines the Medieval Latin griseus meaning "grey" with the Latin striatus meaning "striated". The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. The grey-striped spurfowl is considered as monototypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Pternistis griseostriatus
- Authority
- (Ogilvie-Grant, 1890)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Pternistis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Barratt's Warbler
Bradypterus barratti
A skulky, dull brown warbler with a long and graduated tail, a pale grayish eyebrow, and a throat that is lightly streaked. It creeps around mouse-like in thick undergrowth and tangles in forest and forest edge. It is also found in isolated pockets of scrub, often adjacent to streams, and is frequently detected and identified by its song, mostly delivered between September and December: 2-3 sweet “tsiit” notes followed by a loud trill of 15-20 harsh “tchui” notes. It also has a strident chipping alarm call “tddd-ddr-ddr-ddr-ddr-tt.” The similar Knysna Warbler differs from Barratt’s Warbler by its shorter tail, darker underparts, less pronounced throat streaking, and different song.
African Rail
Rallus caerulescens
Classic, mid-sized rail. Note the brown back, gray head and chest, barred belly, and reddish bill and legs. Found in wetlands ranging from flooded grassland to deep swamps. Especially favors cattail marshes. Fairly reclusive but walks out into the open more often than most rails. Usually detected by call, a loud, accelerating series of notes that descend the scale. Shares a similar color pattern with African Crake, but African Rail has a longer bill and an unspotted back.
Madarasz's Tiger-Parrot
Psittacella madaraszi
A small, compact parrot of lower and mid-montane forest and clearings. Green body, red vent, and a barred rump. Only males have a brown head. Similar to Modest Tiger-Parrot, but where they co-occur, Madarasz's Tiger-Parrot is usually at lower elevations. Males are very similar but Madarasz’s has larger diffuse, mustard spots on the back of the head. Female Madarasz's has a green head and strong barring on the back of the head. Call, a quiet, modulated high-low-middle whistle “wit-wu-wii”.
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