The double-spurred spurfowl is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. Like most spurfowls, it is restricted to Africa. It is a resident breeder in tropical West Africa, but there is a small and declining isolated population in Morocco.
Region
West Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs widely from Senegal and The Gambia east through Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and into parts of Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, with local extension into adjacent regions. Prefers dry and moist savannas, open woodland, scrubby thickets, and farmland mosaics, including fallows and field edges. It avoids dense closed-canopy rainforest and true desert but uses riparian thickets and lightly wooded grasslands. An isolated, small population persists in northwestern Morocco in lowland scrub and agricultural margins.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 3/5
Males typically have two sharp spurs on each leg, giving the species its name. It gives loud, ringing crowing calls at dawn and dusk and often prefers to run before making a short, explosive flight. Commonly hunted as a gamebird in parts of its range, it adapts reasonably well to mosaics of farmland and savanna. An isolated, declining population occurs in northwest Morocco, separate from its core West African range.
Illustration by J. G. Keulemans
Pternistis bicalcaratus ayesha - MHNT
Temperament
wary and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with explosive flush
Social Behavior
Usually found in pairs or small coveys, especially outside the breeding season. Nests on the ground in a grass-lined scrape concealed in vegetation. Breeding typically coincides with the rainy season; pairs are largely monogamous. Roosts in dense cover or low trees when undisturbed.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A loud, ringing, cackling series often delivered at dawn and dusk, carrying over long distances. Also gives sharp alarm cackles and chattering notes when flushed.
