Red-necked Spurfowl
Pternistis afer
Large, chunky francolin with bare red skin on the throat and around the eye. There is much geographical variation in the presence or extent of white on the face, black-and-white streaking below, and black on the belly. Found in a wide range of habitats, including moist savanna, grassland, thickets, cultivation, and forest edge. The call is a series of rough “krek” notes, sometimes with a rollicking introduction. Bare red throat separates it from most other francolins. In areas of overlap with Swainson’s or Gray-breasted Francolins, Red-necked can be identified by black-and-white striped underparts.
Identification
The red-necked spurfowl is 25–38 cm (9.8–15.0 in) in length, with significant size differences between the subspecies. It is a generally dark spurfowl, brown above and black-streaked grey or white underparts. The bill, bare facial skin, neck and legs are bright red.
Taxonomy
The red-necked spurfowl was described in 1776 by the German zoologist Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller and given the binomial name Tetrao afer. The type locality was later designated as Benguela in western Angola. The specific epithet afer is the Latin word for "African". The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2019 found that the red-necked spurfowl is sister to the grey-breasted spurfowl.<p>Although many subspecies have been described only four are now recognised:
- Scientific name
- Pternistis afer
- Authority
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Pternistis
Range and habitat
The red-necked spurfowl breeds across the central belt of Africa and down the east coast to South Africa.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
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.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Northern Red-billed Hornbill
Tockus erythrorhynchus
A fairly small, slim, long-tailed hornbill. Note the red bill, the pink or red bare facial skin, and the heavily spotted back. The eye is dark in most of the range, but birds in some parts of East Africa show a pale eye. White patches on the wing and outer tail are conspicuous in flight. Found in savanna and thornscrub. Similar to Western and Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbills, but separated from both by the pale rather than black bare skin around the eye. Call is a series of clucks that starts with single notes, then becomes louder and more emphatic, with doubled notes.
Reddish-winged Bare-eye
Phlegopsis erythroptera
Large, handsome antbird with a bare red eye-ring. Males are black with chestnut wing patches and have white scales above. Females are chestnut with white wingbars. Inhabits the understory of humid forests, but has also been recorded in white sand forests. Only forages at army-ant swarms. The song is a series of nasal descending whistles. Both sexes of the Black-spotted Bare-Eye have brown-olive wings and backs covered with large black spots.
Snowcap
Microchera albocoronata
Tiny hummingbird; male is unique and beautiful: his body is the color of red wine, and he has a bright white cap. Unmistakable in limited range. Female is less striking, but note small size, snowy white underparts, and short straight bill. Most often seen feeding at small purple flowers in gardens and forest edges
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