Francolins are
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
s in the
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...
Gallini Gallini may refer to:
* Gallini (surname), an Italian surname
* Gallini (bird), a tribe of gamebird including francolins, bamboo partridges, and junglefowl (including the chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domest ...
that traditionally have been placed in the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''Francolinus'', but now commonly are divided into multiple genera.
As previously defined, they were
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
as the genus ''
Pternistis
''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 out ...
'', which was previously included in ''
Francolinus
''Francolinus'' is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the tribe Gallini in the pheasant family. Species
Its three species range from western Asia and central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that s ...
'', 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
''Francolinus'' is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the tribe Gallini in the pheasant family. Species
Its three species range from western Asia and central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that s ...
''.
When ''Pternistis'' is excluded, the francolins form a
monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
clade that is a
sister group
In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree.
Definition
The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram:
Taxon A and t ...
to a clade comprising the
junglefowl
Junglefowl are the only four living species of bird from the genus ''Gallus'' in the bird order Galliformes, and occur in parts of South and Southeast Asia. They diverged from their common ancestor about 4–6 million years ago.
Although origin ...
(''Gallus'') and the
bamboo partridges (''Bambusicola''); together, these clades compose the tribe
Gallini Gallini may refer to:
* Gallini (surname), an Italian surname
* Gallini (bird), a tribe of gamebird including francolins, bamboo partridges, and junglefowl (including the chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domest ...
.
Although formerly classified in the
partridge
A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They a ...
subfamily
Perdicinae
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, trago ...
, this classification is no longer supported, and they are now classified in the subfamily
Pavoninae
The Phasianinae ( Horsfield, 1821) are a subfamily of the pheasant family (Phasianidae) of landfowl, the order Galliformes. The subfamily includes true pheasants, tragopans, grouse, turkey and similar birds.
Although this subfamily was consid ...
.
Francolins are
terrestrial
Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth.
Terrestrial may also refer to:
* Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...
(though not flightless) birds that feed on insects, vegetable matter and
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
s. 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
Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...
feathers. Most species exhibit
spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back ...
s on the
tarsi.
Distribution
Of the approximately 17
extant
Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to:
* Extant hereditary titles
* Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English
* Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...
species, the natural range of five (composing the genus ''Francolinus'' and ''Ortygornis'') are restricted to
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
, while the remaining genera are restricted to
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
.
[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
The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...
.'' Vol. 2. New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Lynx Edicions, Barcelon. Several species have been introduced to other parts of the world, notably
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
.
Twelve of the species which occur in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
are found in the subcontinental region of southern Africa; of these, seven occur in varying proportions within the political boundaries of
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
and
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
. 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
The Cape spurfowl or Cape francolin (''Pternistis capensis'') 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 loca ...
, endemic to the
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as The Cape ( af, Die Kaap), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequen ...
of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, occurs marginally in southern Namibia and south-western Zambia. A fossil francolin, ''Francolinus capeki'', has been described from
Late Pliocene
Late may refer to:
* LATE, an acronym which could stand for:
** Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a proposed form of dementia
** Local-authority trading enterprise, a New Zealand business law
** Local average treatment effect, ...
deposits of
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
; 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
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''Francolinus''.
[ 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''.][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.] The crested francolin
The crested francolin (''Ortygornis sephaena'') 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.
...
and Nahan's francolin were considered possibly quite distinct, but still maintained in ''Peliperdix'' and ''Pternistis'' respectively.[ Based on further evidence, the crested francolin was moved to the ]monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
genus ''Dendroperdix'' in 1998,[Bloomer, P, & Crowe, T. M. (1998). ''Francolin phylogenetics: molecular, morphobehavioral, and combined evidence.'' Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 9(2): 236-54.] and the Nahan's francolin was moved to ''Ptilopachus
''Ptilopachus'' is an African genus of birds in the New World quail family.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Ptilopachus '' was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William John Swainson to accommodate a single species, the stone partridge, which is ...
'' in 2006.[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.] Though some still maintain all these in ''Francolinus'',[Dickinson, E. C. eds. (2003). ''''. 3rd edition. ][Clements, J. F. (2007). '']The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World
''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World'' is a book by Jim Clements which presents a list of the bird species of the world.
The most recent printed version is the sixth edition (2007), but has been updated yearly, the last version in 2022 ...
''. Christopher Helm, London. the split into multiple genera is becoming more widespread.[Sinclair, I., & Ryan, P. (2003). ''Birds of Africa south of the Sahara.'' Struik Publishers, Cape Town. ][Gill, F, & Donsker, D. eds. (2010). ]
IOC World Bird Names
'' Version 2.7. Accessed 15 January 2011. In 2021, two species in ''Francolinus'' (the grey
Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...
and swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
francolins) along with the crested francolin were moved into the genus ''Ortygornis
''Ortygornis'' is a genus of bird in the francolin group of the family Phasianidae.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Ortygornis'' was introduced in 1852 by the German naturalist Ludwig Kaiser to accommodate a single species, the grey francolin, which is the ...
'', while three species from ''Peliperdix'' (the coqui, white-throated, and Schlegel's francolins) were moved into the new genus ''Campocolinus
''Campocolinus'' is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the family Phasianidae. They are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. Species
It contains three species, all of which were formerly classified in ''Peliperdix
Latham's francolin (''Pelipe ...
''. ''Pternistis
''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 out ...
'' was moved to the tribe Coturnicini
Coturnicini is a tribe of birds in the subfamily Phasianinae. It contains the Old World quail, snowcocks, and African spurfowl, among others. Members of this tribe have a wide range throughout Africa, Eurasia, and Australasia. This tribe conta ...
and, as with Nahan's "francolin", is no longer considered a francolin.
When split, the English name "francolin" is generally restricted to the members of the genera ''Francolinus'', ''Ortygornis'', ''Campocolinus'', ''Peliperdix'' and ''Scleroptila'', while the name "spurfowl" is used for ''Pternistis'' ("spurfowl" is also used for ''Galloperdix
''Galloperdix'' is a genus of three species of bird in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. These terrestrial birds are restricted to the Indian Subcontinent, with the red spurfowl and painted spurfowl in forest and scrub in India, and the Sri Lan ...
'' of the Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
). As the Nahan's "francolin" is related to the stone partridge rather than the true francolins and spurfowl,[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).] its name is sometimes modified to Nahan's partridge.
In addition to the major changes proposed at genus level, the species level taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
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
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
(from Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
and northwards) into a separate species, the acacia/Archer's francolin (''S. gutturalis'', with subspecies ''lorti''), while maintaining the southern taxa (from Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
and southwards) in the Orange River francolin.[ Most authorities treat the ]Elgon francolin
The Elgon francolin (''Scleroptila elgonensis'') is a francolin found in moorland at altitudes above from eastern Uganda (Mount Elgon) to central Kenya.McGowan, P. J. K. (1994). Moorland Francolin (''Francolinus elgonensis''). Pp. 494 in: del Ho ...
(''S''. ''psilolaema elgonensis'') as a subspecies of the moorland francolin
The moorland francolin (''Scleroptila psilolaema'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is endemic to Ethiopia.
Distribution
It is found in moorland in the highlands of Ethiopia.
Taxonomy
The Elgon francolin of the highlands of ...
,[ but others have suggested it is a species (''S''. ''elgonensis''), a subspecies of the Shelley's francolin,][ or even a ]hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
between the moorland and red-winged francolin
The red-winged francolin (''Scleroptila levaillantii'') 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, a ...
s.
Species
* ''Peliperdix
Latham's francolin (''Peliperdix lathami'') 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 Afr ...
'':
** Latham's francolin
Latham's francolin (''Peliperdix lathami'') 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 Afr ...
, ''Peliperdix lathami''
*''Ortygornis
''Ortygornis'' is a genus of bird in the francolin group of the family Phasianidae.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Ortygornis'' was introduced in 1852 by the German naturalist Ludwig Kaiser to accommodate a single species, the grey francolin, which is the ...
'':
**Crested francolin
The crested francolin (''Ortygornis sephaena'') 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.
...
, ''Ortygornis'' ''sephaena''
**Grey francolin
The grey francolin (''Ortygornis pondicerianus''), also known as "manu moa" or "chicken bird", is a species of francolin found in the plains and drier parts of the Indian subcontinent and Iran. This species was formerly also called the grey partr ...
, ''Ortygornis pondicerianus''
** Swamp francolin
The swamp francolin (''Ortygornis gularis''), 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 ...
, ''Ortygornis gularis''
*''Francolinus
''Francolinus'' is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the tribe Gallini in the pheasant family. Species
Its three species range from western Asia and central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that s ...
'':
** Black francolin
The black francolin (''Francolinus francolinus'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It was formerly known as the black partridge. It is the state bird of Haryana state, India (locally ...
, ''Francolinus francolinus''
** Painted francolin
The painted francolin or painted partridge (''Francolinus pictus'') is a species of francolin found in grassy areas in central and southern India and in the lowlands of southeastern Sri Lanka. They are easily detected by their loud calls especia ...
, ''Francolinus pictus''
** Chinese francolin, ''Francolinus pintadeanus''
*''Campocolinus
''Campocolinus'' is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the family Phasianidae. They are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. Species
It contains three species, all of which were formerly classified in ''Peliperdix
Latham's francolin (''Pelipe ...
'':
**Coqui francolin
The Coqui francolin (''Campocolinus coqui'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.
Taxonomy
Formerly classified in the genus ''Peliperdix'', a 2020 study found it, the white-throated francolin (''C. albogularis''), and Schlegel's fr ...
, ''Campocolinus coqui''
** White-throated francolin
The white-throated francolin (''Campocolinus albogularis'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.
It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, ...
, ''Campocolinus albogularis''
** Schlegel's francolin
Schlegel's francolin (''Campocolinus schlegelii'') 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 "lea ...
, ''Campocolinus schlegelii''
* ''Scleroptila
''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
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of A ...
'':
** Ring-necked francolin, ''Scleroptila streptophora''
**Red-winged francolin
The red-winged francolin (''Scleroptila levaillantii'') 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, a ...
, ''Scleroptila levaillantii''
** Finsch's francolin, ''Scleroptila finschi''
**Moorland francolin
The moorland francolin (''Scleroptila psilolaema'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is endemic to Ethiopia.
Distribution
It is found in moorland in the highlands of Ethiopia.
Taxonomy
The Elgon francolin of the highlands of ...
, ''Scleroptila psilolaema''
** Grey-winged francolin
The grey-winged francolin (''Scleroptila afra'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.
It is found in Lesotho and South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. ...
, ''Scleroptila afra''
** Orange River francolin, ''Scleroptila gutturalis''
** Shelley's francolin, ''Scleroptila shelleyi''
With a paraphyletic classification, the genus ''Pternistis
''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 out ...
'' in the tribe Coturnicini
Coturnicini is a tribe of birds in the subfamily Phasianinae. It contains the Old World quail, snowcocks, and African spurfowl, among others. Members of this tribe have a wide range throughout Africa, Eurasia, and Australasia. This tribe conta ...
is also considered a francolin; due to the resulting paraphyly, this classification is no longer supported and has been recommended against.
References
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*
External links
Francolin videos
on the Internet Bird Collection
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francolin
Gallini
Bird common names