Francolin

Last updated
Francolin
Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus by Dr. Raju Kasambe DSCN6550 (5).jpg
Grey francolin
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Subfamily: Phasianinae
Tribe: Gallini
Genera

Peliperdix
Ortygornis
Francolinus
Campocolinus
Scleroptila

Contents

Francolins are birds in the tribe Gallini that traditionally have been placed in the genus Francolinus, but now commonly are divided into multiple genera. [1]

As previously defined, they were paraphyletic as the genus Pternistis , which was previously included in Francolinus , is more closely related to Old World quails than it is to the other francolins. Beginning in 2004, various ornithologists have recommended that it would be clearer to use "spurfowl" for all members of the genus Pternistis and restrict the use of "francolin" to the other species presently or formerly classified in Francolinus . [2] When Pternistis is excluded, the francolins form a monophyletic clade that is a sister group to a clade comprising the junglefowl (Gallus) and the bamboo partridges (Bambusicola); together, these clades compose the tribe Gallini. [1]

Although formerly classified in the partridge subfamily Perdicinae, this classification is no longer supported, and they are now classified in the subfamily Pavoninae. [1]

Francolins are terrestrial (though not flightless) birds that feed on insects, vegetable matter and seeds. Most of the members have a hooked upper beak, well-suited for digging at the bases of grass tussocks and rootballs. They have wide tails with fourteen rectrix feathers. Most species exhibit spurs on the tarsi. [3]

Distribution

Of the approximately 17 extant species, the natural range of five (composing the genus Francolinus and Ortygornis) are restricted to Asia, while the remaining genera are restricted to Africa. [4] Several species have been introduced to other parts of the world, notably Hawaii.

Twelve of the species which occur in Africa are found in the subcontinental region of southern Africa; of these, seven occur in varying proportions within the political boundaries of Namibia and Zambia. Six southern African francolins are considered endemic to the subcontinent, of which three are found in Namibia and Zambia (the Hartlaub's, red-billed and Orange River francolins.

The Cape spurfowl, endemic to the Cape Province of South Africa, occurs marginally in southern Namibia and southwestern Zambia. A fossil francolin, Francolinus capeki, has been described from Late Pliocene deposits of Hungary; the contemporary fossil galliforms "Francolinus" minor and "F." subfrancolinus are now placed in Palaeocryptonyx .

Taxonomy

Until the early 1990s, major authorities placed all francolins in the genus Francolinus. [4] In 1992 it was suggested that this treatment was problematic, and the francolins should be split into four genera: Francolinus for the Asian species, and the African species divided into Peliperdix, Scleroptila and Pternistis. [5] The crested francolin and Nahan's francolin were considered possibly quite distinct, but still maintained in Peliperdix and Pternistis respectively. [5] Based on further evidence, the crested francolin was moved to the monotypic genus Dendroperdix in 1998, [6] and the Nahan's francolin was moved to Ptilopachus in 2006. [7] Though some still maintain all these in Francolinus, [8] [9] the split into multiple genera is becoming more widespread. [10] [11] In 2021, two species in Francolinus (the grey and swamp francolins) along with the crested francolin were moved into the genus Ortygornis , while three species from Peliperdix (the coqui, white-throated, and Schlegel's francolins) were moved into the new genus Campocolinus . Pternistis was moved to the tribe Coturnicini and, as with Nahan's "francolin", is no longer considered a francolin. [12] [13] [14] [15]

When split, the English name "francolin" is generally restricted to the members of the genera Francolinus, Ortygornis, Campocolinus, Peliperdix and Scleroptila, [10] [11] while the name "spurfowl" is used for Pternistis ("spurfowl" is also used for Galloperdix of the Indian subcontinent). [10] [11] As the Nahan's "francolin" is related to the stone partridge rather than the true francolins and spurfowl, [7] [16] its name is sometimes modified to Nahan's partridge. [11]

In addition to the major changes proposed at genus level, the species level taxonomy among several francolins/spurfowl is disputed. For example, the distribution of the Orange River francolin (Scleroptila levaillantoides) is highly disjunct, leading some authorities to split the northern taxa (from Kenya and northwards) into a separate species, the acacia/Archer's francolin (S. gutturalis, with subspecies lorti), while maintaining the southern taxa (from Angola and southwards) in the Orange River francolin. [4] Most authorities treat the Elgon francolin (S. psilolaema elgonensis) as a subspecies of the moorland francolin, [4] [8] [9] [10] but others have suggested it is a species (S. elgonensis), a subspecies of the Shelley's francolin, [4] or even a hybrid between the moorland and red-winged francolins. [17]

Species

With a paraphyletic classification, the genus Pternistis in the tribe Coturnicini is also considered a francolin; due to the resulting paraphyly, this classification is no longer supported and has been recommended against. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phasianidae</span> Family of birds

The Phasianidae are a family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular gamebirds. The family is a large one and includes 185 species divided into 54 genera. It was formerly broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae and the Perdicinae. However, this treatment is now known to be paraphyletic and polyphyletic, respectively, and more recent evidence supports breaking it up into two subfamilies: Rollulinae and Phasianinae, with the latter containing multiple tribes within two clades. The New World quail (Odontophoridae) and guineafowl (Numididae) were formerly sometimes included in this family, but are now typically placed in families of their own; conversely, grouse and turkeys, formerly often treated as distinct families, are now known to be deeply nested within Phasianidae, so they are now included in the present family.

<i>Francolinus</i> Genus of birds

Francolinus is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the tribe Gallini in the pheasant family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swamp francolin</span> Species of bird

The swamp francolin, also called swamp partridge, is a francolin species native to the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India and Nepal. It is considered extinct in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-throated francolin</span> Species of bird

The white-throated francolin is‌ a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clapperton's spurfowl</span> Species of bird

Clapperton's spurfowl is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coqui francolin</span> Species of bird

The Coqui francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwood's spurfowl</span> Species of bird

Harwood's spurfowl, also known as Harwood's Francolin, is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is a grey-brown bird with red bill and tail, and red bare skin around the eyes. Both sexes have similar coloring, although the female is paler in color with a more extensive buff belly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hildebrandt's spurfowl</span> Species of bird

Hildebrandt's spurfowl is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia. The species is named for Johann Maria Hildebrandt, who collected the first specimens in Kenya. The sexes differ markedly in their plumage and females are smaller than males.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heuglin's spurfowl</span> Species of bird

Heuglin's spurfowl is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda. The German explorer Theodor von Heuglin first described the species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latham's francolin</span> Species of bird

Latham's francolin or the forest francolin, is a species of bird in the francolin group of the family Phasianidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Peliperdix. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nahan's partridge</span> Species of bird

Nahan's partridge, also known as the Nahan's francolin, is a bird traditionally placed in the family Phasianidae. As suggested by its alternative name, it was formerly believed to be a francolin and placed either in Francolinus or Pternistis, but it is now known that its closest relative is the stone partridge and together may in fact be the only African representatives of the New World quails (Odontophoridae).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natal spurfowl</span> Species of bird

The Natal spurfowl or Natal francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Schlegel's francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, and South Sudan. According to the IUCN Red List, in which the species is rated as "least concern", the global population is unknown, but there have been no fluctuations in population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested francolin</span> Species of bird

The crested francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in southern Africa. One of its subspecies, Ortygornis sephaena rovuma, is sometimes considered a separate species, Kirk's francolin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaly spurfowl</span> Species of bird

The scaly spurfowl is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perdicinae</span> Subfamily of birds

Perdicinae is a polyphyletic former subfamily of birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae, regrouping the partridges, Old World quails, and francolins. Although this subfamily was considered monophyletic and separated from the pheasants, tragopans, junglefowls, and peafowls (Phasianinae) till the early 1990s, molecular phylogenies have shown that these two subfamilies actually constitute only one lineage. For example, some partridges are more closely affiliated to pheasants, whereas Old World quails and partridges from the Alectoris genus are closer to junglefowls. Due to this, the subfamily Perdicinae is no longer recognized by the International Ornithological Congress, with the species being split among 3 subfamilies.

<i>Scleroptila</i> Genus of birds

Scleroptila is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the tribe Gallini of the pheasant family. Its eight species range through Sub-Saharan Africa.

<i>Pternistis</i> Genus of birds

Pternistis is a genus of galliform birds formerly classified in the spurfowl group of the partridge subfamily of the pheasant family. They are described as "partridge-francolins" in literature establishing their phylogenetic placement outside the monophyletic assemblage of true spurfowls. All species are endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa, excepted the double-spurred spurfowl. They are commonly known as spurfowls or francolins, but are closely related to jungle bush quail, Alectoris rock partridges, and Coturnix quail. The species are strictly monogamous, remaining mated indefinitely. They procure most of their food by digging. Spurfowls subsist almost entirely on roots, beans of leguminous shrubs and trees, tubers, and seeds, and feasting opportunistically on termites, ants, locusts, flowers, and fruit. Important predators are jackals, caracals, servals, and birds of prey, as well as herons and marabou storks.

<i>Campocolinus</i> Genus of birds

Campocolinus is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the family Phasianidae. They are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

<i>Ortygornis</i> Genus of birds

Ortygornis is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the family Phasianidae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Galliformes". bird-phylogeny (in German). Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  2. 1 2 Crowe, T.M.; Little, R.M. (2004). "Francolins, partridges and spurfowls: what's in a name". Ostrich. 75 (4): 199–203. doi:10.2989/00306520409485445. S2CID   83631933.
  3. ↑ B P Hall (1963) The Francolins, a study in speciation. Bulletin of the British Museum 10(2):105-204 Scan
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 McGowan, P. J. K. (1994). Francolins (genus Francolinus). Pp. 489-504 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J. eds. (1994). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 2. New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Lynx Edicions, Barcelon. ISBN   84-87334-15-6
  5. 1 2 Crowe, T. M., Harley, E. H.,Jakutowic, M. B., Komen, J., & Crowe, A. A. (1992). Phylogenetic, taxonomic and biogeographical implications of genetic, morphological, and behavioral variation in Francolins (Phasianidae: Francolinus). Auk 109(1): 24-42.
  6. ↑ Bloomer, P, & Crowe, T. M. (1998). Francolin phylogenetics: molecular, morphobehavioral, and combined evidence. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 9(2): 236-54.
  7. 1 2 Crowe, T. M., Bowie, R.C.K., Bloomer, P., Mandiwana, T.G., Hedderson, T.A.J., Randi, E., Pereira, S., & Wakeling, J. (2006). Phylogenetics, biogeography and classification of, and character evolution in, gamebirds (Aves: Galliformes): Effects of character exclusion, data partitioning and missing data. Cladistics 22: 495-532.
  8. 1 2 Dickinson, E. C. eds. (2003). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World . 3rd edition. ISBN   0-7136-6536-X
  9. 1 2 Clements, J. F. (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World . Christopher Helm, London. ISBN   978-0-7136-8695-1
  10. 1 2 3 4 Sinclair, I., & Ryan, P. (2003). Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Struik Publishers, Cape Town. ISBN   1-86872-857-9
  11. 1 2 3 4 Gill, F, & Donsker, D. eds. (2010). IOC World Bird Names. Version 2.7. Accessed 15 January 2011.
  12. ↑ Crowe, Timothy M.; Mandiwana-Neudani, Tshifhiwa G.; Donsker, David B.; Bowie, Rauri CK; Little, Robin M. (2020-04-02). "Resolving nomenclatural 'confusion' vis-à-vis Latham's Francolin (Francolinus/Peliperdix/Afrocolinus lathami) and the 'Red-tailed' francolins (Francolinus/Ortygornis/Peliperdix spp.)". Ostrich. 91 (2): 134–136. doi:10.2989/00306525.2020.1723140. ISSN   0030-6525. S2CID   219442370.
  13. ↑ Mandiwana-Neudani, Tshifhiwa G.; Little, Robin M.; Crowe, Timothy M.; Bowie, Rauri CK (2019-05-04). "Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of African spurfowls Galliformes, Phasianidae, Phasianinae, Coturnicini: Pternistis spp". Ostrich. 90 (2): 145–172. doi:10.2989/00306525.2019.1584925. ISSN   0030-6525. S2CID   195417777.
  14. ↑ Kimball, Rebecca T.; Hosner, Peter A.; Braun, Edward L. (2021-05-01). "A phylogenomic supermatrix of Galliformes (Landfowl) reveals biased branch lengths". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 158: 107091. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107091. ISSN   1055-7903. PMID   33545275. S2CID   231963063.
  15. ↑ "Taxonomic Updates – IOC World Bird List" . Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  16. ↑ Crowe, T. (2010). Phylogenetic affinities of enigmatic African galliforms: the stone partridge Ptilopachus petrosus and Latham's and Nahan's 'francolins' Francolinus lathami and F. nahani. Cladistics 26: 206-206. (Abstract).
  17. ↑ McCarthy, Eugene M. (2006). Handbook of avian hybrids of the world. Oxford University Press US. p. 50. ISBN   978-0-19-518323-8.

A Molecular Phylogeny of the Pheasants and Partridges Suggests That These Lineages Are Not Monophyletic R. T. Kimball,* E. L. Braun,*,† P. W. Zwartjes,* T. M. Crowe,‡,§ and J. D. Ligon*

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.