Yellow-necked Francolin

About the Yellow-necked Francolin

The yellow-necked spurfowl or yellow-necked francolin (Pternistis leucoscepus) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. This species is named for the yellow patch found on its neck. Males of this species have been noted to have spurs on the back of their legs.

The yellow-necked spurfowl was described in 1867 by the English ornithologist George Robert Gray and given the binomial name Francolinus leucoscepus. The type locality is Ethiopia. The specific epithet leucoscepus combines the Ancient Greek leukos meaning "white" and skepas meaning "covering" or "mantle". The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832.

Two subspecies are recognised: P. l. leucoscepus (Gray, GR, 1867) — Eritrea and adjacent north Ethiopia P. l. infuscatus Cabanis, 1868 — north Somalia and Djibouti south through Ethiopia, east South Sudan, south Somalia, northeast Uganda, Kenya and north central Tanzania

It has been noted that this bird is most active at dawn and dusk. The bird is also noted to be very adaptable... Wikipedia →