Jackson's Spurfowl Pternistis jacksoni Scientific name definitions

The Jackson's Spurfowl is a large fowl of the mountains of central and western Kenya, where it occurs at elevations of 2,050 m to 3,700 m. It is a seldom-seen species, preferring remote terrain, which likely contributes to the dearth of information about its most basic life history. It is nearly (or wholly?) a Kenyan endemic, recorded primarily from the Aberdare Range, Mt. Kenya, the Mau Escarpment, the Cherang'any Hills, and Mt. Elgon. Although its range historically included the Ugandan side of Mt. Elgon, there are no recent observations to suggest that it is extant outside of Kenya.

It is an attractive francolin, with the neck and underparts gray with prominent chestnut and white scaling and a white throat. The upperparts are dark gray, becoming browner towards the rump. In adults, the legs and bill are a rich cadmium red, with a red eye ring and an orange-yellow ear patch. The sexes are similar, but females are smaller than males. Juveniles and immatures are duller than adults, with dark, barred upperparts and underparts. Chicks have paler underparts and a diagnostic dark brown crown stripe, barred wings, a dark bill, and pinkish legs.

The Jackson's Spurfowl is currently treated as a monotypic species; however, some subpopulations have been proposed to represent distinct subspecies. The population on Mt. Kenya, which appears to be darker with less white scaling, has been named in the past as subspecies pollenorum. The populations in the Aberdares and the Mau Escarpment have been named subspecies gurae, and those from the Cherang'any Hills have been described as subspecies patriciae.