Yellow-necked spurfowl

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Yellow-necked spurfowl
Francolin.jpg
In Samburu National Reserve, Kenya
Calls recorded in Kiboko, Kenya
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Pternistis
Species:
P. leucoscepus
Binomial name
Pternistis leucoscepus
(Gray, GR, 1867)
Yellow-necked spurfowl distribution map.svg
   geographic distribution
Synonyms
  • Francolinus leucoscepus

The yellow-necked spurfowl or yellow-necked francolin (Pternistis leucoscepus) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. This species is named for the yellow patch found on its neck. Males of this species have been noted to have spurs on the back of their legs.

Contents

Taxonomy

The yellow-necked spurfowl was described in 1867 by the English ornithologist George Robert Gray and given the binomial name Francolinus leucoscepus. [2] The type locality is Ethiopia. [3] The specific epithet leucoscepus combines the Ancient Greek leukos meaning "white" and skepas meaning "covering" or "mantle". [4] The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. [5] [6]

Two subspecies are recognised: [6]

Behavior

It has been noted that this bird is most active at dawn and dusk. [7] The bird is also noted to be very adaptable, it can continue to live in land after agriculture begins, it only leaves lands when heavy human occupation begins. [8]

Call

The call of a yellow-necked spurfowl is a series of scratchy descending upslurs, up to seven in a series. [9] Male yellow-necked spurfowl often call while standing on top of mounds of earth or rock, often termite mounds. [7]

Conservation Status

The yellow-necked spurfowl is not in the threshold for vulnerable species despite the fact that its population (though unquantified) is thought to be in decline (though not at a fast rate). The primary threat to the species is over-hunting. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francolin</span> Group of birds

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

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

The red-necked spurfowl or red-necked francolin, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae that is a resident species in southern Africa.

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

Hartlaub's spurfowl or Hartlaub's francolin is a species of bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is endemic to the escarpment zone of Namibia and Angola. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the German physician and ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub.

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

The handsome spurfowl is a species of bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is a large, up to 35 cm long, terrestrial forest bird with a dark reddish brown plumage, grey head, red bill and legs, brown iris, bare red orbital skin and rufous grey below. Both sexes are similar. The female is slightly smaller than male. The young has duller plumage.

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

The Cape spurfowl or Cape francolin is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is endemic to southern Africa, where it is the largest francolin. It occurs in the Western Cape province of South Africa, and locally northwards to southern Namibia. It has adapted to alien vegetation and a variety of human-altered habitats, but scrubby roosting and nesting space is a prerequisite. The species is not threatened.

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

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.

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

The Ahanta francolin or Ahanta spurfowl is a species of bird in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is native to western Africa, where it occurs in Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

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

The Mount Cameroon spurfowl is a bird species in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is found only in Cameroon.

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

The chestnut-naped spurfowl is a species of bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. At 33–37 cm (13–15 in) in length and weighing 550–1,200 g (19–42 oz), it is a large species of spurfowl. It is found in Ethiopia and Somaliland. The population is believed to be stable but according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) there is insufficient data to make an estimate of the population.

<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">Erckel's spurfowl</span> Species of bird

Erckel's spurfowl, also known as Erckel's francolin, is a species of game bird in the family Phasianidae.

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

The grey-striped spurfowl is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found only in Angola.

<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">Jackson's spurfowl</span> Species of bird

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.

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

The Djibouti spurfowl or Djibouti francolin is a bird species in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is critically endangered and found only in Djibouti, a nation in the Horn of Africa. This species is grayish-brown overall with white stripes and streaks on its underparts which become finer towards the upperparts. It has black markings on the head and a gray crown and has a short tail. It is 35 cm (1.15 ft) in length, and weighs 940 g (33 oz).

<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">Swainson's spurfowl</span> Species of bird

Swainson's spurfowl or Swainson's francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae which is native to southern Africa. In the Shona language in Zimbabwe, this bird is called the chikwari or horwe and is considered a delicacy by outdoor and hunting enthusiasts. Swainson's spurfowl was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist.

<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.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Pternistis leucoscepus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22678847A92791674. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22678847A92791674.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. Gray, George Robert (1867). List of the Specimens of Birds in the Collection of the British Museum. Vol. Part V Gallinae. London: Printed by the order of the Trustees. p. 48.
  3. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1934). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 2. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 86–87.
  4. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 225. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. Wagler, Johann Georg (1832). "Neue Sippen und Gattungen der Säugthiere und Vögel". Isis von Oken (in German and Latin). cols 1218–1235 [1229].
  6. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Pheasants, partridges, francolins". IOC World Bird List Version 10.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  7. 1 2 Spurfowl at Kenya Birds
  8. 1 2 BirdLife Factsheet
  9. Birds of East Africa:Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi. By:Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe