Red-billed spurfowl

The red-billed spurfowl, also known as the red-billed francolin, is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

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Distribution

Region

Southern Africa

Typical Environment

Occurs widely from southern Angola and western Zambia through Namibia and Botswana into northern South Africa and western Zimbabwe. It favors dry savanna, thornbush, mopane and acacia woodland, and riverine thickets. Birds stay close to dense cover but venture into open areas and along tracks to feed. They are often found near seasonal watercourses and pans and readily use agricultural edges and ranchlands.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 1800 m

Climate Zone

Subtropical

Characteristics

Size33–40 cm

Wing Span45–50 cm

Male Weight0.55 kg

Female Weight0.45 kg

Life Expectancy6 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 2/5

Useful to know

Also called the red-billed francolin, this spurfowl is a common gamebird across semi-arid southern Africa. Males carry sharp leg spurs used in territorial disputes. Pairs often duet at dawn from termite mounds or low perches. It adapts well to farmlands and bushy river margins where cover and water are nearby.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

wary and territorial

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats with explosive flush; prefers to run

Social Behavior

Usually seen in pairs or small family coveys, maintaining territories year-round. Ground-nesting in a shallow scrape lined with vegetation, with breeding linked to the rains. Birds roost in trees or dense bushes and dust-bathe in open patches.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

A loud, rasping series of cackling notes, often delivered as a duet by a pair at dawn and dusk. Calls carry far across open savanna and are given from elevated mounds or low branches.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Red-billed teal

The red-billed teal or red-billed duck is a dabbling duck which is an abundant resident breeder in southern and eastern Africa typically south of 10° S. This duck is not migratory, but will fly great distances to find suitable waters. It is highly gregarious outside the breeding season and forms large flocks.

Red-billed tropicbird

The red-billed tropicbird is a tropicbird, one of three closely related species of seabird of tropical oceans. Superficially resembling a tern in appearance, it has mostly white plumage with some black markings on the wings and back, a black mask and, as its common name suggests, a red bill. Most adults have tail streamers that are about two times their body length, with those in males being generally longer than those in females. The red-billed tropicbird itself has three subspecies recognized, including the nominate. The subspecies mesonauta is distinguished from the nominate by the rosy tinge of its fresh plumage, and the subspecies indicus can be differentiated by its smaller size, more restricted mask, and more orange bill. This species ranges across the tropical Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and Indian Oceans. The nominate is found in the southern Atlantic Ocean, the subspecies indicus in the waters off of the Middle East and in the Indian Ocean, and the subspecies mesonauta in the eastern portions of both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans and in the Caribbean. It was one of the many species described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.