Erckel's Spurfowl
A species of True Francolins Scientific name : Pternistis erckelii Genus : True Francolins
Erckel's Spurfowl, A species of True Francolins
Botanical name: Pternistis erckelii
Genus: True Francolins
Content
Description General Info
Description
The largest African spurfowl, Erckel's spurfowl is 38–43 cm (15–17 in) in length, with females being slightly smaller than males. Males grow to 1.05–1.59 kg (2.3–3.5 lb), based on a sample of three specimens, and a single female specimen was observed to weigh 1.136 kg (2.50 lb). Males and females have similar plumage. The body is covered with stripes of chestnut-color, on its upperside and underside. It has a black face and bill, a chestnut-colored head top and back of neck, and yellow legs. It has white ear coverts and a single streak of white behind its eye. 
Size
23 - 41 cm
Feeding Habits
Erckel's Spurfowl maintains a varied diet, foraging for plants, seeds, and berries, while also hunting insects and shoots, displaying adaptability in its feeding behavior.
Habitat
Erckel's Spurfowl prominently resides in habitats such as scrublands, forest edges, and grasslands. Generally, these birds are found in broader regions characterized by steep, rocky terrains with shrubbery, often at elevations ranging from moderate to high altitudes. Their preferred vegetation includes a mixture of local flora such as Carissa, Maytenus, and Rosa species, with grasses like Hyparrhenia. They are commonly associated with dense vegetation along streams and riparian areas and tend to inhabit forest margins rather than deep forest interiors. In their native range, erckel's Spurfowl is adapted to environments with variable elevation, but always maintains a preference for areas offering ample vegetation cover.
Dite type
Omnivorous
General Info
Behavior
Erckel's spurfowl can hunt alone or in pairs, in scrublands or at the edge of forests. Its diet consists of plants, such as berries, seeds, and shoots, as well as insects. It is frequently inactive, but if threatened it runs up a hill. It produces territorial calls, which consist of 15–20 notes and are made from clifftops and large rocks. The species' vocalizations are frequently repeated over a long period, and have been described as "an insane cackled laughter, speeding towards the end with a bouncing ball pattern". Eggs are laid during the rainy season from April to November, with the exact time depending on the location; they are laid in May and September to November in Ethiopia, while they are laid in April and May in Sudan.
Distribution Area
Erckel's spurfowl is native to the northern parts of Eritrea and Ethiopia, as well as northeast Sudan. In 1957, the species was introduced to Hawaii as a gamebird; it has also been introduced to Italy. It lives in areas 2,000 to 3,500 metres (6,600 to 11,500 ft) above sea level, such as in the mountainous Degua Tembien district. Although its exact population is unknown, it is a common species with an estimated extent of occurrence of 580,000 km (220,000 sq mi), causing it to be listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Scientific Classification
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