Cape Spurfowl
Pternistis capensis
A large, mostly dark brown francolin with pale feather-edging that forms a fine scaly pattern on the body. It also has dull red legs and a mostly reddish bill with a dark top and yellow base. The pale eyebrow and throat are emphasized on a dark face. The juvenile is duller. The loud, territorial crowing call (“kak-kaak, kak-keek, kak-keek”) is given from a low perch; it increases in pitch but decreases in volume. Bold and confiding, it is widespread and common in its range; found in fynbos, semi-arid zones, and coastal scrub. Gray-winged Francolin differs by having yellow legs, a rufous-streaked chest, and a gray-and-brown necklacing pattern.
Identification
The Cape spurfowl is 40–42 cm (16–17 in) in length. The male, at 600–915 g (1.323–2.017 lb), averages larger than the female, at 435–659 g (0.959–1.453 lb). This large spurfowl appears all dark from a distance, apart from the red legs, but when seen closer the plumage is finely vermiculated in grey and white, with a plainer crown and nape.<p>The sexes are similar in plumage, but the male has two leg spurs, whereas the female has at best one short spur. The juvenile is similar to the adults, but has duller legs and clearer vermiculations. The large, dark francolin is unlikely to be confused with any other species in its range.
Taxonomy
The English ornithologist John Latham described the Cape spurfowl in his A General Synopsis of Birds in 1783. He used the English name "Cape partridge", but did not introduce a Latin name. Six years later in 1789, when the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin updated Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae, he included a terse description of the Cape spurfowl, coined the binomial name Tetrao capensis and cited Latham's work. The specific epithet capensis is the Latin for the Cape of Good Hope. The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. The Cape spurfowl is considered as monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. Its closest relative is the Natal spurfowl, which has a similarly vermiculated plumage.
- Scientific name
- Pternistis capensis
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Pternistis
Range and habitat
It is a common resident of the Western Cape's strandveld, renosterveld and fynbos regions, especially at lower altitudes, being replaced at high altitudes by the grey-winged francolin. It is present in the succulent (i.e. westerly) karoo at lower densities, and in the Nama karoo, where it frequents the immediate vicinity of rivers. Its presence in scrub along the banks of the lower Orange and Fish Rivers appears to be a natural phenomenon. It was introduced to Robben Island where it benefits from a parasite-free environment. It forages in altered habitats like parks, croplands, orchards, vineyards, and stands of invasive rooikrans.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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