| Moorland francolin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Illustration of S. psilolaema by Joseph Smit, 1893 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | Scleroptila |
| Species: | S. psilolaema |
| Binomial name | |
| Scleroptila psilolaema (Gray, GR, 1867) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The moorland francolin (Scleroptila psilolaema) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is endemic to Ethiopia.
The Elgon francolin of the highlands of Kenya and Uganda was formerly considered a subspecies of S. psilolaema, but was split as a distinct species by the IUCN Red List and BirdLife International in 2014, and by the International Ornithological Congress in 2022 based on a 2019 study. [2] Compared to the moorland francolin, the Elgon francolin is brighter (more rufescent) and lacks black spots to the throat, and also differs in vocalizations. [3] [4]
Francolins are birds in the tribe Gallini that traditionally have been placed in the genus Francolinus, but now commonly are divided into multiple genera.
Mountain Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda. Although there is no verifiable evidence of its earliest volcanic activity, geologists estimate that Mount Elgon is at least 24 million years old, making it the oldest extinct volcano in East Africa. The mountain's name originates from its Maasai name, Elgonyi.
Francolinus is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the tribe Gallini in the pheasant family.
The moorland chat, also known as the alpine chat or hill chat, is a species of songbird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is endemic to north-east Africa where it is common in its habitat. It lives at high altitudes on moors and grassland, usually above 3,400 m (11,100 ft), but can live as low as 2,100 m (6,900 ft). It has a short tail and long legs. It is bold and will approach people.
The grey-winged francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Lesotho and South Africa.
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.
Finsch's francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Angola, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, parts of Cameroon, and Gabon.
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.
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, Eswatini, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
The Orange River francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae found in grassland and woodland in Africa. In the taxa from the northern part of its distribution, the neck-line does not reach the eye and the belly is whitish. In the southern taxa the neck-line reaches the eye and the belly is buff. This has led some authorities to treat them as separate species: The Archer's or acacia francolin in the north, and the Orange River francolin in the south.
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).
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.
Shelley's francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. The species is named after Sir Edward Shelley, cousin of George Ernest Shelley. IOC 13.1 recognized the following subspecies:
The ring-necked francolin is a bird species in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Rarer than previously believed, it was uplisted from a species of Least Concern to Near Threatened status in the 2007 IUCN Red List.
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.
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.
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.
The African green bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found throughout arid regions of Africa from Senegal east to Ethiopia, and has expanded its range north to Egypt over the past few decades.
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