Product Code Database
Francolins are in the tribe Gallini that traditionally have been placed in the genus Francolinus, but now commonly are divided into multiple genera.
As previously defined, they were Paraphyly as the genus Pternistis, which was previously included in Francolinus, is more closely related to Old World quails than it is to the other francolins. Beginning in 2004, various ornithologists have recommended that it would be clearer to use "spurfowl" for all members of the genus Pternistis and restrict the use of "francolin" to the other species presently or formerly classified in Francolinus. When Pternistis is excluded, the francolins form a Monophyly clade that is a sister group to a clade comprising the junglefowl ( Gallus) and the Bamboo partridge ( Bambusicola); together, these clades compose the tribe Gallini.
Although formerly classified in the partridge subfamily Perdicinae, this classification is no longer supported, and they are now classified in the subfamily Pavoninae.
Francolins are terrestrial (though not flightless) birds that feed on insects, vegetable matter and . Most of the members have a hooked upper beak, well-suited for digging at the bases of grass tussocks and rootballs. They have wide tails with fourteen rectrix feathers. Most species exhibit spurs on the Tarsometatarsus.B P Hall (1963) The Francolins, a study in speciation. Bulletin of the British Museum 10(2):105-204 Scan
Twelve of the species which occur in Africa are found in the subcontinental region of southern Africa; of these, seven occur in varying proportions within the political boundaries of Namibia and Zambia. Six southern African francolins are considered endemic to the subcontinent, of which three are found in Namibia and Zambia (the Hartlaub's, red-billed and Orange River francolins).
The Cape spurfowl, endemic to the Cape Province of South Africa, occurs marginally in southern Namibia and southwestern Zambia. A fossil francolin, Francolinus capeki, has been described from Late Pliocene deposits of Hungary; the contemporary fossil galliforms "Francolinus" minor and "F." subfrancolinus are now placed in Palaeocryptonyx.
When split, the English name "francolin" is generally restricted to the members of the genera Francolinus, Ortygornis, Campocolinus, Peliperdix and Scleroptila, while the name "spurfowl" is used for Pternistis ("spurfowl" is also used for Galloperdix of the Indian subcontinent). As the Nahan's "francolin" is related to the stone partridge rather than the true francolins and spurfowl,Crowe, T. (2010). Phylogenetic affinities of enigmatic African galliforms: the stone partridge Ptilopachus petrosus and Latham's and Nahan's 'francolins' Francolinus lathami and F. nahani. Cladistics 26: 206-206. (Abstract). its name is sometimes modified to Nahan's partridge.
In addition to the major changes proposed at genus level, the species level taxonomy among several francolins/spurfowl is disputed. For example, the distribution of the Orange River francolin ( Scleroptila levaillantoides) is highly disjunct, leading some authorities to split the northern taxa (from Kenya and northwards) into a separate species, the acacia/Archer's francolin ( S. gutturalis, with subspecies lorti), while maintaining the southern taxa (from Angola and southwards) in the Orange River francolin. Most authorities treat the Elgon francolin ( S. psilolaema elgonensis) as a subspecies of the moorland francolin, but others have suggested it is a species ( S. elgonensis), a subspecies of the Shelley's francolin, or even a hybrid between the moorland and red-winged francolins.
A Molecular Phylogeny of the Pheasants and Partridges Suggests
That These Lineages Are Not Monophyletic
R. T. Kimball,* E. L. Braun,*,† P. W. Zwartjes,* T. M. Crowe,‡,§ and J. D. Ligon*
Species
With a paraphyletic classification, the genus Pternistis in the tribe Coturnicini is also considered a francolin; due to the resulting paraphyly, this classification is no longer supported and has been recommended against.
External links
|
|
