Family Pheasants, Partridges, Turkeys, Grouse (Phasianidae)
Least Concern
Clapperton's Francolin (Pternistis clappertoni)
Taxonomy
French: Francolin de Clapperton German: Clappertonfrankolin Spanish: Francolín de Clapperton
Other common names:
Clapperton's Spurfowl
Taxonomy:
Francolinus Clappertoni
Children and Vigors
, 1826,no locality = Bornu, Nigeria
.
Subspecies and Distribution
P. c. clappertoni
(Children & Vigors, 1826) – E Mali (from Azzawakh) and Niger E to SW Sudan.
P. c. koenigseggi
(Madarász, 1914) – SE Sudan.
P. c. sharpii
(Ogilvie-Grant, 1892) – W Eritrea and N & C Ethiopia.
P. c. heuglini
(Neumann, 1907) – N & C South Sudan.
P. c. nigrosquamatus
(Neumann, 1902) – E South Sudan and W Ethiopia.
P. c. gedgii
(Ogilvie-Grant, 1891) – S South Sudan and N & NE Uganda.
Descriptive notes
c. 32–35 cm; male 450–604 g, female 300–530 g. Size and streaked appearance might briefly recall P. leucoscepus. Differs from P. icterorhynchus... read more
Voice
Vocalizes most frequently early morning and late afternoon, usually from a low tree or atop a... read more
Habitat
Semi-arid savanna, open savanna woodland and especially sandy grassland, including that of ... read more
Food and feeding
Seeds and berries, small molluscs and insects. Recorded in coveys of up to 20 birds.
Breeding
Lays Aug–Sept in Mali and Sudan; Feb and Jul–Sept in Chad; Feb–Mar in Nigeria; Jan–Feb and Jul–Dec in... read more
Movements
Sedentary. Often active in late afternoon.
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Mace Lande: safe. Patchily distributed in suitable habitat within a large range of c. 2,320,000 km². Generally locally common to... read more
Has been included in genus Chaetopus. This species is possibly closest to P. bicalcaratus, P. icterorhynchus and P. harwoodi. Geographical variation in plumage is complex and partly clinal, and some authors prefer to treat this species as monotypic#R. Some populations, however, appear distinctive enough to warrant subspecific recognition. Name testis is a synonym of nigrosquamatus and cavei a synonym of gedgii. Six subspecies recognized.