The Ahanta francolin or Ahanta spurfowl is a species of bird in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is native to western Africa, where it occurs in Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Region
West Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from Senegal and Gambia east through Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and into southern Mali and southwestern Nigeria. It favors lowland moist forests, forest edges, secondary thickets, and dense undergrowth along streams. Frequently uses human-modified habitats such as cocoa, oil palm, and mixed-food-crop plantations where cover is available. Often found in forest–savanna ecotones and overgrown fallows. Requires dense ground cover for foraging and nesting.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Named after the Ahanta region and people of coastal Ghana, this forest spurfowl is more often heard than seen, giving loud antiphonal duets at dawn and dusk. It thrives in forest edges, secondary growth, and farm–forest mosaics, including cocoa and oil-palm plantations. Although hunted locally for bushmeat, it remains widespread across West Africa where suitable cover persists.
Temperament
shy and secretive, often skulking in dense cover
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with explosive flush, then quick glide back into cover
Social Behavior
Usually found in pairs or small family coveys. Territorial during the breeding season, with pairs maintaining close contact in dense understory. Nests are simple ground scrapes lined with leaves, well concealed under shrubs or grass tussocks.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A loud, ringing series of cackling notes delivered in duets, with the female often responding immediately to the male. Calls are most frequent at dawn and dusk and carry far through forest edges and thickets.
