Double-spurred Francolin
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| iDouble-spurred Francolin | ||||||||||||||
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| Francolinus bicalcaratus (Linnaeus, 1766) |
The Double-spurred Francolin, Francolinus bicalcaratus, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.
Like most francolins, 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.
This bird is found in open habitats with trees. It nests in a lined ground scrape laying 5-7 eggs. Double-spurred Francolin takes a wide variety of plant and insect food.
The male is mainly brown, with black and white flank streaking. The face is pale, and the head features a chestnut crown and white supercilium. It has a chestnut neck collar, white cheek patches and brown wings. The male has two spurs on each legs. The female is similar, apart from the double spurs, but slightly smaller, and the young birds are drabber versions of the adult.
This is a very unobtrusive species, best seen in spring when the male sings a mechanical krak-krak-krak from a mound. It has a Pheasant's explosive flight, but prefers to creep away unseen.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Francolinus bicalcaratus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
