- Francolinus francolinus
Identification
31–36 cm (12-14 in) Male
- Mainly black
- White spotting on back and flanks
- Chestnut neck collar
- White cheek patches
- Brown wings
- Red legs
The amount white spotting on the flanks varies considerably
Female
- Mainly brown
- Chestnut hind neck
- The depth of colour of the females varies
Distribution
Kashmir, Cyprus, south-eastern Turkey, Iran, southwest Turkmenistan and northeast India.
Introduced to Hawaii
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 6 subspecies[1]:
- F. f. francolinus:
- Cyprus and Asia Minor to Iraq and Iran
- F. f. arabistanicus:
- F. f. bogdanovi:
- Southern Iran and Afghanistan to southern Pakistan
- F. f. henrici:
- F. f. asiae:
- Northern India
- F. f. melanonotus:
- Eastern India to Sikkim and Bangladesh
Habitat
Scrubby habitats with plenty of low cover. Grassland and other cultivated areas. Also wetlands.
Behaviour
Breeding
It nests in a bare ground scrape. 8-18 white-spotted pale brown/greenish eggs are laid.
Diet
The diet includes a wide variety of plant and insect food.
In Culture
State bird of Haryana (India).
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black Francolin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black_Francolin
External Links
