The white-necked rockfowl is a medium-sized bird in the family Picathartidae, with a long neck and tail. Also known as the white-necked picathartes, this passerine is mainly found in rocky forested areas at higher altitudes in West Africa from Guinea to Ghana. Its distribution is patchy, with populations often being isolated from each other. The rockfowl typically chooses to live near streams and inselbergs. It has no recognized subspecies, though some believe that it forms a superspecies with the grey-necked rockfowl. The white-necked rockfowl has greyish-black upperparts and white underparts. Its unusually long, dark brown tail is used for balance, and its thighs are muscular. The head is nearly featherless, with the exposed skin being bright yellow except for two large, circular black patches located just behind the eyes. Though the bird is usually silent, some calls are known.
Region
Upper Guinea forests, West Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs in a patchy range from Guinea through Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, and into Ghana. It inhabits primary and mature secondary lowland to hill evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, especially near inselbergs, rocky outcrops, and boulder-strewn ravines. Nesting sites are almost always on vertical rock faces, in shallow caves, or beneath overhangs close to streams. The species prefers shaded, undisturbed understory with ample leaf litter and rock crevices for foraging. Populations are often small and isolated by unsuitable habitat between rocky forest tracts.
Altitude Range
100–1300 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the white-necked picathartes, this striking bird has a nearly bare yellow head with two bold black patches behind the eyes. It nests colonially on rock faces and in caves, building mud cup nests under overhangs near forest streams. Its distribution is naturally patchy across the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa, and it is sensitive to forest disturbance. Habitat loss and disturbance at nesting sites are major threats.
Illustration in Temminck's Nouveau recueil de planches coloriées d'oiseaux (1838)
Juvenile (left) and adult (right) with an egg
Ghana's Volta Region is a nesting area.
Columns of Dorylus ants, which flush prey items
nesting under rock overhang
Museum specimen of an adult at the Natural History Museum of Geneva
Liberian rainforest near a logging site
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; prefers running and hopping among rocks
Social Behavior
Typically seen in pairs or small groups, becoming more social at nesting cliffs where loose colonies form. Monogamous pairs build mud cup nests attached to rock walls under overhangs or in shallow caves. Clutches are small (often 1–2 eggs), and both parents incubate and feed the young. Territories are centered on reliable rocky nesting sites near water.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Usually quiet, giving soft whistles, clucks, and chirrs, especially around nesting sites. Alarm calls are sharper and more nasal. Vocalizations are infrequent outside the breeding area.
