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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 outside the monophyletic assemblage of true spurfowls. All species are endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa, excepted the double-spurred spurfowl (also present in Morocco). 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. Taxonomy The genus ''Pternist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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, 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 ( Perdix genus) 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. Perdicinae is a non-migratory Old World group. These are medium-sized birds, and are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. They are ground-nesting seed-eaters. The subfamily includes the partridges, the snowcocks, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pternistis Swainsonii
Swainson's spurfowl or Swainson's francolin (''Pternistis swainsonii'') 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. Range and habitat It is found in grasslands and woodlands of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Taxonomy Swainson's spurfowl was described in 1836 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith and given the binomial name ''Perdix swainsonii''. Smith noted that the spurfowl inhabited the banks of the rivers beyond Kurrichaine (Kaditshwene), the modern province of Limpopo in South Africa. The specific epithet ''swainsonii'' was chosen to honour the English naturalist William Swainson. The species is now placed in the genus ''Pternistis'' tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double-spurred Spurfowl
The double-spurred spurfowl (''Pternistis bicalcaratus'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. Like most spurfowls, it is restricted to Africa. It is a resident breeder in tropical West Africa, but there is a small and declining isolated population in Morocco. Taxonomy In 1760, the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the double-spurred spurfowl in his ''Ornithologie,'' based on a specimen that had been collected in Senegal. He used the French name "''La Perdrix du Sénégal"'' and the Latin "''Perdix Senegalensis''." Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766, the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his ''Systema Naturae'' for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the double-spurred spu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grey-breasted Spurfowl
The grey-breasted spurfowl or grey-breasted francolin (''Pternistis rufopictus'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found only in Tanzania. The grey-breasted spurfowl was described by the German ornithologist Anton Reichenow in 1887 and given its current binomial name ''Pternistis rufopictus''. The specific epithet combines the Latin ''rufus'' meaning "red" and ''pictus'' meaning "painted". A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2019 found that the grey-breasted spurfowl is sister to the red-necked spurfowl. The species is monotypic: no subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ... are recognised. References External links Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the grey-breasted spurfowl Pternistis Endemic birds of Tanzania Birds describe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pternistis Adspersus
The red-billed spurfowl (''Pternistis adspersus''), 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 species exhibits sexual dimorphism in size. Males are larger, measuring in length and weighing , whereas females measure in length and weigh . The species has barred underparts (in contrast to the related Natal spurfowl) and a conspicuous yellow eye-ring.McGowan, P.J.K. & Kirwan, G.M. (2017). Red-billed Francolin (Pternistis adspersus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/53412 on 22 May 2017). Taxonomy The red-billed spurfowl was described in 1838 by the English naturalist George Robert Waterhouse from specimens collected by James Edward Alexander on his expedition to Namaquala ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 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. Taxonomy The English ornithologist John Latham described the Cape spurfowl in his ''A General Synopsis of Birds'' in 1783. He used the English name "Cape partridge", but did not introduce a Latin name. Six years later in 1789, when the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin updated Carl Linnaeus's ''Systema Naturae'', he included a terse description of the Cape spurfowl, coined the binomial name ''Tetrao capensis'' and cited Latham's work. The specific epithet ''capensis'' is the Latin for the Cape of Good Hope. The species is now placed i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phasianidae
Phasianidae is a family (biology), family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, grouse, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, Turkey bird, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular Game (hunting), gamebirds. The family includes 185 species divided into 54 genera. It was formerly broken up into two subfamily (biology), subfamilies, the Phasianinae and the Perdicinae. However, this treatment is now known to be paraphyly, paraphyletic and polyphyly, polyphyletic, respectively, and more recent evidence supports breaking it up into two subfamilies: Rollulinae and Phasianinae, with the latter containing multiple Tribe (biology), tribes within two clades. The New World quail (Odontophoridae) and guineafowl (Numididae) were formerly sometimes included in this family, but are now typically placed in families of their own; conversely, grouse and turkey (bird), turkeys, formerly often treated as distinct families (Tetraonidae and Melea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galliform
Galliformes is an order (biology), order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkey (bird), turkeys, chickens, Old World quail, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often reared by humans for their meat and eggs, or hunted as game birds. The order contains about 290 species, inhabiting every continent except Antarctica, and divided into five Family (biology), families: Phasianidae (including chicken, quail, partridges, pheasants, turkeys, peafowl (peacocks) and grouse), Odontophoridae (New World quail), Numididae (guinea fowl), Cracidae (including chachalacas and curassows), and Megapodiidae (incubator birds like malleefowl and Brushturkey, brush-turkeys). They adapt to most environments except for innermost deserts and perpetual ice. Many gallinaceous species are skilled runners and escape predators by running rather than flying. Males of most species a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ortygornis
''Ortygornis'' is a genus of birds 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 therefore the type species. The name combines the Ancient Greek ''ortux'' meaning "quail" with ''ornis'' meaning "bird". The genus now contains three species, one found in Sub-Saharan Africa and two found South Asia (with one also being found in Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...). The species are: Of the three species, the crested francolin was formerly placed in its own monotypic genus, '' Dendroperdix'', while the two Asian species were formerly placed in '' Francolinus''. Phylogenetic analyses support thes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spurfowl
Spurfowl are two genera of birds: * ''Galloperdix'', from India and Sri Lanka * ''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 o ...'', from Africa {{Short pages monitor Birds by common name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alectoris
''Alectoris'' is a genus of partridges in the family Phasianidae, closely related to Old World quail (''Coturnix'' and relatives), snowcocks (''Tetraogallus''), partridge-francolins (''Pternistis''), bush quail (''Perdicula''), and sand and see-see partridges (''Ammoperdix''). Members of the genus are known collectively as rock partridges (a name that also refers to one species in particular, ''Alectoris graeca''). The genus name is derived from the , meaning "chicken" or "farmyard fowl". Their fossils date back to the early Pleistocene, with extant representatives in southern Europe, North Africa and Arabia, and across Asia in Pakistan to Tibet and western China. Taxonomy The genus ''Alectoris'' was introduced in 1829 by German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup to accommodate a single species ''Perdrix petrosa'', a junior synonym of ''Perdix barbara'' Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre, Bonnaterre, 1790, the Barbary partridge, which is therefore the type species by monotypy. The genus name is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek Dark Ages, Dark Ages (), the Archaic Greece, Archaic or Homeric Greek, Homeric period (), and the Classical Greece, Classical period (). Ancient Greek was the language of Homer and of fifth-century Athens, fifth-century Athenian historians, playwrights, and Ancient Greek philosophy, philosophers. It has contributed many words to English vocabulary and has been a standard subject of study in educational institutions of the Western world since the Renaissance. This article primarily contains information about the Homeric Greek, Epic and Classical periods of the language, which are the best-attested periods and considered most typical of Ancient Greek. From the Hellenistic period (), Ancient Greek was followed by Koine Greek, which is regar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
