Swierstra's spurfowl is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found only in Angola in the rapidly shrinking Afromontane forests of peaks such as Mount Moco and Mount Soque.
Region
Angolan Escarpment
Typical Environment
This species occupies small, isolated patches of Afromontane evergreen forest and dense secondary growth on the western Angolan highlands. It favors thick understorey, vine tangles, and forest edges, occasionally using adjacent thickets and gallery forests along streams. Birds keep close to cover and often move between nearby forest fragments when suitable undergrowth persists. It avoids open savanna and heavily degraded areas, relying on leaf-littered forest floors for foraging.
Altitude Range
1200–2400 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Swierstra's spurfowl is a highly range-restricted galliform confined to a few Afromontane forest fragments in west-central Angola, notably around Mount Moco and Mount Soque. It is threatened by ongoing habitat loss from firewood collection, agricultural encroachment, and uncontrolled burning. Conservation attention focuses on protecting and restoring remaining forest patches and preventing further fragmentation.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
explosive burst flight with short rapid wingbeats, then a short glide back to cover
Social Behavior
Usually encountered in pairs or small family groups, keeping to dense cover and moving quietly along forest floors. Likely monogamous, with nests as shallow scrapes well-hidden under vegetation. Breeding activity is thought to align with the rainy season when food is most abundant.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are loud, often a duet of accelerating, cackling notes exchanged between partners, carrying far at dawn and dusk. Calls are used to maintain pair bonds and advertise territories, with sharper alarm notes when disturbed.
Plumage
Dark brown upperparts with fine vermiculations; underparts barred or speckled in black and white, with a paler throat and breast. Rufous-brown tones often show on the wings and flanks. Sexes are similar, with males typically larger and bearing tarsal spurs.
Diet
Forages mainly on the ground, scratching through leaf litter for seeds, fallen berries, green shoots, and small bulbs. It supplements plant matter with invertebrates such as beetles, ants, termites, and other arthropods. Diet composition likely shifts seasonally with fruiting and insect availability.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense understorey of montane forest, along edges, and in nearby thickets where cover is continuous. It often uses shaded trails and gullies with deep leaf litter and retreats into thicker vegetation when disturbed.
