THE WORLD BIRDS - An Online Bird Book
GALLIFORMES
Francolins
Order Galliformes Family Phasianidae
GALLIFORMES
Galliformes are heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game birds. Most are plump-bodied with thick necks and moderately long legs, and have rounded and rather short wings. They do not fly well if at all, but walk and run instead for transportation. These birds vary greatly in size from 12-120 cm. Many adult males have one to several sharp horny spurs on the back of each leg, which they use for fighting. They can be found worldwide and in a variety of habitats, including forests, deserts, and meadows. Male courtship behavior includes elaborate visual displays of plumage. Gallinaceous birds feed on a variety of plant and animal material, which may include fruits, seeds, leaves, shoots, flowers, tubers, roots, insects, snails, worms, lizards, snakes, small rodents, and eggs.
Some of the Gallifrom families:
Cracidae: chachalac, curassow, guan. Numididae : Guineafowl Odontophoridae : New World Quail
Phasianidae: francolin, grouse, partridge, pheasant, Old World quail.
Some of the Gallifrom families:
Cracidae: chachalac, curassow, guan. Numididae : Guineafowl Odontophoridae : New World Quail
Phasianidae: francolin, grouse, partridge, pheasant, Old World quail.
Francolins
Order Galliformes Family Phasianidae
Francolins, often called spurfows, are members of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. Most species are restricted to Africa, but some occur in Asia. Francolins are terrestrial (though not flightless) birds feed on insects, vegetable matter and seeds. Most of the members have a hooked upper beak, tails with fourteen feathers and in many of them the male has tarsal spurs.
Genus Dendroperdix - 1 species
Francolin,_Crested Dendroperdix sephaena also Francolinus sephaena Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - specimen in Nairobi National Museum, Kenya 2, 3, 4, 5) Dick Daniels - Kruger National Park, South Africa 6) Sandy Cole - South Africa
Genus Francolinus
Found in: Asia
These are termed the "true" francolins.
Francolin,_Black Francolinus francolinus Found: Asia, Hawaii (introduced)
Similar to: Painted Francolin. Male Black Francolin has white patch on side of face; male Painted Francolin does not. Female Black Francolin has rufous hind collar; female Painted Francolin does not.
Image by: 1) Swarti Sani 2) Tarique Sani - India 3) Kosy Koshy - India 4) USDA NRCS 
1) Female 2, 3, 4) Male
Francolin, Chinese Francolinus pintadeanus Found: Asia
The Chinese Francolin is It is found in Cambodia, southeast China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Image by: 1) Martin_Hale - Hong Kong Hume and Marshall 
1) Female 2) Male
Francolin,_Gray Francolinus pondicerianus Found: Asia, introduced to Hawaii
The Grey Francolin has barred upperparts; lighter barred lowerparts; light supercilium; pale face; pale throat with thin black border. Subspecies in southern peninsula of India has a darker rufous throat.
Found in plains and drier regions of south Asia.
Similar to: Gray Partridge. Gray Francolin has horizontally striped neck and breast; Gray Partridge has solid gray breast.
Similar to: Painted Francolin. Painted Francolin has white-spotted underparts; Grey Francolin has lightly barred underparts.
Image by: 1) DIck Daniels - Hawaii 2) Dick - Hawaii 3) CV_Vick - Maui 4) Dibyendu_Ash - India 5) Koshy_KoshyFound in plains and drier regions of south Asia.
Similar to: Gray Partridge. Gray Francolin has horizontally striped neck and breast; Gray Partridge has solid gray breast.
Similar to: Painted Francolin. Painted Francolin has white-spotted underparts; Grey Francolin has lightly barred underparts.
Francolin,_Painted Francolinus pictus Found: Indian Subcontinent
The Painted Francolin has white-spotted underparts; bright rufous face, throat; orange-yellow to red legs.
Similar to: Black Francolin. Male Black Francolin has white patch on side of face; male Painted Francolin does not. Female Black Francolin has rufous hind collar; female Painted Francolin does not.
Similar to: Grey Francolin. Painted Francolin has white-spotted underparts; Grey Francolin has lightly barred underparts.
Image by: Hume and Marshall 2)) Ash Lin 3) Thomas Hardwicke 4) Shantanu_KuveskarSimilar to: Black Francolin. Male Black Francolin has white patch on side of face; male Painted Francolin does not. Female Black Francolin has rufous hind collar; female Painted Francolin does not.
Similar to: Grey Francolin. Painted Francolin has white-spotted underparts; Grey Francolin has lightly barred underparts.
_Photograph_by_Shantanu_Kuveskar.jpg){kind=link}
1) Female left Male right
Francolin,_Swamp Francolinus gularis Found: north India, Nepal, Bangladesh
The Swamp Francolin has brown upperparts barred with buff; chestnut outer tail feathers; red-rust throat; brown underparts with white steaks; blackish bill; dull red feet. It is found in or near wet environments.
Image by: 1) Hume and Marshall 2) Hardewick 3) AZ3
Genus Galloperdix
These species are found on the Indian subcontinent. Even though they are called spurfowls, they are not closely related to francolins.
Spurfowl,_Red Galloperdix spadicea Found: India
The Red Spurfowl has brown upperparts; grayish face, neck; rufous underparts.
Image by: 1) Subramanya 2) Rahul_Alvares
Spurfowl,_Painted Galloperdix lunulata Found: Indian subcontinent
The male Painted Spurfowl has chestnut mantle, rump, wing coverts; black tail. Female lacks the male's white spotting.
Image by: 1) Subramanya C K 2) Shyamal - India 3) Nagesh_kamath 4) Allan Hopkins
Spurfowl,_Sri_Lanka Galloperdix bicalcarata Found: Sri Lanka
The male Sri Lanka Spurfowl has red legs, bare facial skin; black and white mantle, head, breast. Female has chestnut underparts; plain brown back, wings.
Image by: 1) Khoo 2) Shanaka_Aravinda
Genus Peliperdix
Found in: Africa
Francolin,_Coqui Peliperdix coqui Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Derek Keats 2, 3) Nik_Borrow 4) DIck Daniels - Tanzania
1, 2) Female 3, 4) Male
Francolin,_Latham's Peliperdix lathami Found; Africa
Image by: 1) Daderot 2) gjohns2
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dkeats/14677941135Francolin,_Schlegel's Peliperdix schlegelii Found: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, South Sudan
Image by: 1) Pinebird
Francolin,_White-throated Peliperdix albogularis Found: Africa
The White-throated Francolin is found in tropical and sub-tropical grasslands, savannas, burned lands and shrublands. It feed on seeds and insects.
Prawn by: 1) Joseph Smit 2) Nik_Borrow
Genus Pternistis
Found in: Africa
They are considered "partridge-francolins"versus the true francolins of genus Francolinus. They are closely related to Bush-quail and Coturnix quail. They procure most of their food by digging. Partridge-francolins subsist almost entirely on roots, beans of leguminous shrubs and trees, tubers, seed, feasting opportunistically on termites, ants, locusts, flowers and fruit.
Francolin,_Ahanta Pternistis ahantensis Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Nik_Borrow - Ghana
Francolin,_Cameroon Pternistis camerunensis Found: Cameroon
The male Cameroon Francolin has brown upperparts; grayish underparts; red bill. Female has barred upperparts; mottled brown underparts.
Image by: 1) hbw.com
Francolin,_Cape Pternistis capensis Found: South Africa
The Cape Francolin has finely vermiculated gray and white plumage; red legs. It is unique in its range.
Image by: 1) Alastair Pott 2) Alan Manson 3) Craig Adam - South Africa 4) Cristiano Crolle - Capetown, South Africa 5) Lip Kee - Capetown
Francolin,_Chestnut-naped Pternistis castaneicollis Found: Ethiopia, Somalia, and possibly Kenya
Image by: 1) Nik_Borrow - Ethiopia 2) Allan_Drewitt 3, 4) Sergey_Yeliseev
Francolin,_Clapperton's Pternistis clappertoni Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Michael_Jefferies - Uganda 2) Nik_Borrow - Cameroon
Francolin,_Djibouti Pternistis ochropectus Found: Djibouti, a nation in the Horn of Africa.
The Djibouti Francolin has overall grayish-brown plumage with white stripes and streaks on its underparts which become finer towards the upperparts.
Image by: 1) Shyamal 2) Sam_Cartwright
Francolin,_Double-spurred Pternistis bicalcaratus Found; Morocco, tropical west Africa
The Double-spurred Francolin has mainly brown plumage; streaked and spotted darker upperparts; chestnut crown, neck collar; pale cream face flecked with dark brown; white supercilium; white cheek patches; brown wings. Male usually has two spurs on each leg, Female is similar; usually lacks spurs,
Image by: 1, 2) Ron_Knight - Cameroon 3) JV Verde - Gambia
1) Female 2, 3) Male
Francolin,_Erckel's Pternistis erckelii Found: Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan, Hawaii (introduced)
Image by: 1, 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Kauai, Hawaii
Francolin,_Gray-breasted Pternistis rufopictus Found: Tanzania
Image by: 1, 4) David Bygott - Serengeti 2) Yathin Krishnappa 3) D_Gordan_Robertson 5) Nik_Borrow - Tanzania
Francolin,_Gray-striped Pternistis griseostriatus Found: Africa
Image by: 1) John Keulemanns
Francolin,_Handsome Pternistis nobilis Found: Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda, Uganda
The Handsome Francolin has gray head, nape; reddish brown on wings; rufous gray underparts.
Image by: 1) Nik_Borrow
Francolin,_Hartlaub's Pternistis hartlaubi Found: Namibia, Angola
The Hartlaub's Francolin has a large bill compared to other Francolins. The male has mottled brown/buff upperparts; white underparts streaked with brown; white superciliums that join in front; black border below the supercilium. Female has brown crown tinged with rufous; crimson unstreaked underparts; gray-brown head; orange-brown supercilium.
Image by: 1, 2) Jerry_Oldenettel 3) Ron Knight1, 2) Lair 2, 3) Male
Francolin,_Harwood's Pternistis harwoodi Found: Ethiopia
The Harwood's Francolin has gray-brown plumage; red bare skin around eyes.
Image by: 1) Nik_Borrow - Ethiopia
Francolin,_Heuglin's Pternistis icterorhynchus Found: Central African Republic, DR Congo, South Sudan, Uganda
Image by: 1) Bernard_Dupont - Uganda 2) Nik_Borrow - Uganda
Francolin,_Hildebrandt's Pternistis hildebrandti Found: Africa
Image by: 1, 4) Joseph Mochoge - Gilgil, Kenya 2, 5) Nik_Borrow - Tanzania 3) Carol Foil - Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya
1, 2) Female 3 - 5) Male
Francolin,_Jackson's Pternistis jacksoni Found: Kenya, Uganda
Image by: 1) Steve Garvie - Kenya 2) Dave Curtis - Kenya 3) Kevin O'Grady
Francolin,_Natal Pternistis natalensis Found: Africa
The Natal Francolin is found in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - Kruger National Park, South Africa 3) Arno Meintjes 4) Frans_Vandewalle - South Africa
Francolin,_Red-billed Pternistis adspersus Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Ian White 2) Cristiano Crolle - Kalahari desert Namibia 3) Yathin sk 4) Derek_Keats - Botswana
Francolin,_Red-necked Pternistis afer Found: Africa
The Red-necked Fracolin has 7 subspecies. In general it has brown upperparts; black-streaked gray or white underparts; bright red bill, legs, facial skin, throat.
Image by: 1) David Bygott - Tanzania 2) Graham Laurence 3) Dick Daniels - Tanzania 4) Charles_J_Sharp - Uganda 5, 6, 7) Nik_Borrow - Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi.jpg){kind=link}
Francolin,_Scaly Pternistis squamatus Found: Africa
Image by: 1) John Kuelemans 2) Francesco_Veronesi - Kenya
Francolin,_Swainson's Pternistis swainsonii Found: Africa
Image by: 1, 2) Arno Meintjes 3) Chris Eason - South Africa 4, 5 Bernard_Dupont - South Africa
Francolin,_Swierstra's Pternistis swierstrai Found: Angola
Image by: 1) jan_veenstra
Francolin,_Yellow-necked Pternistis leucoscepus Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Carol Foil - Kenya 2) Gary Stolz - Kenya 3) Lip Kee Yap 4) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo 5) Sandy Cole - San Diego Zoo 6) Dick Daniels - Tanzania 7) Nik_Borrow - Tanzania
Genus Scleroptila
Found in: Africa
Francolin,_Finsch's Scleroptila finschi Found: Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon
Image by: 1) hbw.com
Francolin,_Gray-winged Scleroptila afra Found: South Africa, Lesotho
Image by: 1) Francesco_Veronesi - South Africa 2) Alan Manson - Lesotho 3) Mick Richardson and Sarah Winch - South Africa
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Francolin,_Moorland Scleroptila psilolaema Found: highlands of Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda
The Moorland Francolin of Ethiopia has black spots on a white neck. The subspecies in Kenya and Uganda have birghter rufous plumage and lack black spots on throat.
Image by: 1, 2) Brendan_Ryan - Ethiopia 3) Nik_Borrow - Ethiopia
Francolin,_Orange_River Scleroptila gutturalis Found: Africa
In its northern range, the neck-line does not reach the eye and the belly is whitish. In the southern range, the neck-line reaches the eye and the belly is buff.
Image by: 1) Nik_Borrow 2) Ian White - Botswana 3) Derek_Keats - Botswana.jpg){kind=link}
Francolin,_Red-winged Scleroptila levaillantii Found: Africa
Image: 1) John Keulemans 2) Alan Manson - South Africa 3) Francesco_Veronesi
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Francolin,_Ring-necked Scleroptila streptophora Found: Africa
The Ring-necked Francolin is found in Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Image by: 1) John Keulemans
Francolin,_Shelley's Scleroptila shelleyi Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Alan Manson - South Africa 2) Darren Bellerby - Kenya
