''Pternistis'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 ...

birds formerly classified in the

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 ...

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 Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

, excepted the

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 A ...

(also present in Morocco). They are commonly known as spurfowls or francolins, but are closely related to

jungle bush quail The jungle bush quail (''Perdicula asiatica'') is a species of quail in the family Phasianidae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, where it is found in peninsular India and Sri Lanka. It has also been reported from Nepal but has not been se ...

, ''

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-s ...

'' rock partridges, and ''

Coturnix ''Coturnix'' is a genus of five extant species and five to eight known extinct species of Old World quail. Range These species are distributed throughout Africa, Eurasia, Australia, and formerly New Zealand. An extinct Adaptive radiation, radiat ...

'' 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 Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

shrubs and trees, tubers, and seeds, and feasting opportunistically on

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

locust Locusts (derived from the Latin ''locusta'', locust or lobster) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they b ...

s, flowers, and fruit. Important predators are

jackal Jackals are Canidae, canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe Canina (subtribe), canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-b ...

caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized Felidae, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long ...

serval The serval (''Leptailurus serval'') is a wild small cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, where it inhabits grasslands, wetlands, moorlands and bamboo thickets. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and ...

s, and

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

, as well as

heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

s and

marabou stork The marabou stork (''Leptoptilos crumenifer'') is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae native to sub-Saharan Africa. It breeds in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially landfill sites. It is sometim ...

Taxonomy

The genus ''Pternistis'' was introduced by the German naturalist

Johann Georg Wagler Johann Georg Wagler (28 March 1800 – 23 August 1832) was a German herpetologist and ornithologist. Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and gave lectures in zoology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich after it was moved t ...

in 1832. The name is from the

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 ...

''pternistēs'' meaning "one who strikes with the heel". The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

was designated by the English zoologist

George Robert Gray George Robert Gray (8 July 1808 – 6 May 1872) was an English zoology, zoologist and author, and head of the Ornithology, ornithological section of the British Museum, now the Natural History Museum, London, Natural History Museum, London f ...

in 1841 as 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 local ...

(''Pternistis capensis''). Most of the species within the genus formerly included "francolin" in their common name. Beginning in 2004 various ornithologists have recommended that it would be clearer to restrict the use of "francolin" to members of the genus ''

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 is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzsta ...

'' and closely related genera (''

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 In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxo ...

'', ''

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 t ...

'', ''

Campocolinus ''Campocolinus'' is a genus of Bird, birds in the francolin group of the family Phasianinae, Phasianidae. They are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. Species It contains three species, all of which were formerly classified in ''Peliperdix''. The specie ...

'', ''

Scleroptila ''Scleroptila'' is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the Tribe (biology), tribe Gallini (bird), Gallini of the Phasianidae, pheasant family. Its eight species range through Sub-Saharan Africa. Species The species are: References Fu ...

'') and to use "spurfowl" for all members of the genus ''Pternistis''. Both are in different tribes within 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 c ...

: ''Pternistis'' is placed with the

Old World quail Old World quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds in the tribe Coturnicini of the pheasant family Phasianidae. Although all species commonly referred to as "Old World quail" are in the same tribe, they are paraphyletic ...

s in the tribe

Coturnicini Coturnicini is a tribe of birds in the subfamily Phasianinae. It contains the Old World quail, Snowcock, snowcocks, and African spurfowl, among others. Members of this tribe have a wide range throughout Africa, Eurasia, and Australasia. This trib ...

, while the true francolins are placed with 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. One of the species in this genus, the red junglefowl, is of historical importance as the ...

in the tribe

Gallini Gallini may refer to: * Gallini (surname), an Italian surname * Gallini (bird), a tribe of gamebirds including francolins, bamboo partridges, and junglefowl (including the chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesti ...

. This recommendation was adopted in 2020 by Frank Gill and colleagues in the online list of world birds that they maintain on behalf of the

International Ornithological Committee The International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) is an international organization for the promotion of ornithology. It links basic and applied research and nurtures education and outreach activities. Specifically, the IOU organizes and funds global co ...

(IOC). The common name "spurfowl" is also used for the three Asian species that are placed in the genus ''

Galloperdix ''Galloperdix'' is a genus of three species of bird in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. These Terrestrial animal, terrestrial birds are restricted to the Indian Subcontinent, with the red spurfowl and painted spurfowl in forest and scrub in Indi ...

''.

Species

The genus contains 23 species: * Hartlaub's spurfowl, ''Pternistis hartlaubi'' ( Barboza du Bocage, 1869) * Mount Cameroon spurfowl, ''Pternistis camerunensis'' (

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

, 1909) *

Handsome spurfowl The handsome spurfowl (''Pternistis nobilis'') 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, b ...

, ''Pternistis nobilis'' (

Reichenow Anton Reichenow (1 August 1847 in Charlottenburg – 6 July 1941 in Hamburg) was a German ornithologist and herpetologist. Reichenow was the son-in-law of Jean Cabanis, and worked at the Natural History Museum of Berlin from 1874 to 1921. He was ...

, 1908) * Chestnut-naped spurfowl, ''Pternistis castaneicollis'' ( Salvadori, 1888) * Erckel's spurfowl, ''Pternistis erckelii'' ( Rüppell, 1835) * Djibouti spurfowl, ''Pternistis ochropectus'' (

Dorst Dorst is a village in the municipality Oosterhout, in the Dutch province North Brabant. Dorst is located near Rijen and the nearest cities are Breda, Oosterhout and Tilburg. Toponymy The name ''Dorst'' is supposed to have originated from ''D ...

& Jouanin, 1952) *

Swierstra's spurfowl Swierstra's spurfowl (''Pternistis swierstrai'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found only in Angola in the rapidly shrinking Afromontane forests of peaks such as Mount Moco and Mount Soque. Its natural habitat is subtropic ...

, ''Pternistis swierstrai'' ( Roberts, 1929) * Ahanta spurfowl, ''Pternistis ahantensis'' (

Temminck Coenraad Jacob Temminck (; 31 March 1778 – 30 January 1858) was a Dutch patrician, zoologist and museum director. Biography Coenraad Jacob Temminck was born on 31 March 1778 in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic. From his father, Jacob ...

, 1854) * Grey-striped spurfowl, ''Pternistis griseostriatus'' ( Ogilvie-Grant, 1890) * Jackson's spurfowl, ''Pternistis jacksoni'' ( Ogilvie-Grant, 1891) * Red-billed spurfowl, ''Pternistis adspersus'' ( Waterhouse, 1838) *

, ''Pternistis capensis'' ( Gmelin, JF, 1789) *

Natal spurfowl The Natal spurfowl or Natal francolin (''Pternistis natalensis'') is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Taxonomy The Natal spurfowl was described in 1833 ...

, ''Pternistis natalensis'' ( Smith, A, 1833) *

Hildebrandt's spurfowl Hildebrandt's spurfowl (''Pternistis hildebrandti'') 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 Johan ...

, ''Pternistis hildebrandti'' (

Cabanis Cabanis is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernard Cabanis (born 1950), French ice hockey player * George Cabanis (1815–1892), American politician * James Cabanis (1838–1920), American politician, son of George Cabanis *Jea ...

, 1878) *

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 A ...

, ''Pternistis bicalcaratus'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

, 1766) * Scaly spurfowl, ''Pternistis squamatus'' ( Cassin, 1857) * Heuglin's spurfowl, ''Pternistis icterorhynchus'' ( Heuglin, 1863) * Clapperton's spurfowl, ''Pternistis clappertoni'' (

Children A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

& Vigors, 1826) * Harwood's spurfowl, ''Pternistis harwoodi'' ( Blundell & Lovat, 1899) * Swainson's spurfowl, ''Pternistis swainsonii'' ( Smith, A, 1836) * Yellow-necked spurfowl, ''Pternistis leucoscepus'' ( Gray, GR, 1867) *

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 ...

, ''Pternistis rufopictus''

, 1887 * Red-necked spurfowl, ''Pternistis afer'' ( Müller, PLS, 1776)

Notes

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q844415 Bird genera Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa