Francolins are a group of birds in the subtribe Francolinina of the tribe Gallini that traditionally have been placed in the genus Francolinus, but now commonly are divided into multiple genera.
Francolinus is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the tribe Gallini in the pheasant family. Its three species range from western Asia and central Asia through to southern Asia and south-eastern Asia. The species are:
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.
The red-billed spurfowl, also known as the red-billed francolin, is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The white-throated francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.
The Mount Cameroon spurfowl is a bird species in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is found only in Cameroon.
The Coqui francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.
Erckel's spurfowl, also known as Erckel's francolin, is a species of game bird in the family Phasianidae.
The grey-striped spurfowl is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found only in Angola.
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.
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.
Jackson's spurfowl or Jackson's francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Kenya and Uganda. Its preferred habitats include mountainous forests and stands of bamboo.
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.
The red-winged francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
The Chinese francolin or Burmese francolin is a species of game bird in the family Phasianidae.
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.
The Elgon francolin is a francolin found in moorland at altitudes above 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) from eastern Uganda to central Kenya. Most recent authorities treat it as a subspecies of the moorland francolin. Alternatively, it has been suggested that it is a species, a subspecies of the Shelley's francolin, or even a hybrid between the moorland and red-winged francolins. It was described by Ogilvie-Grant in 1891 as Francolinus elgonensis, and some authorities still use the genus Francolinus for all members otherwise placed in Scleroptila. The Elgon francolin resembles the nominate subspecies of the moorland francolin, but the latter is duller and has a black-dotted throat.
Scleroptila is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the tribe Gallini of the pheasant family. Its seven species range through Sub-Saharan Africa. The species are:
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.
Campocolinus is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the family Phasianidae. They are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
