Schlegel's Francolin

Description

Schlegel’s Francolin has many of the general characteristics shared by all francolin species which include:

Preferring habitats that are grasslands, bush, and thickets

Ground-dwelling

Sit tight when disturbed

Flushed only when pressured

Musical birds who produce whistling calls and respond to playback

Yellow tarsi with a short, single spur

Chicks have a crown with a narrow dark patch

Schlegel’s Francolin shares the following characteristics for being part of the Red-Tailed group of quail-like francolins along with her closest relatives the White-Throated and Coqui francolins:

Black bill with a yellow base

Yellow legs

Sexually dimorphic

The species itself has the following characteristics:

21-25 cm

Males weigh 251 grams and females 223 grams

A small francolin with a rusty-orange or rufous-yellow head that contrasts with a dusky brown crown and eyestripe

Brown irides

Vinous chestnut back and wash

Belly varies from buff to buffish white

Narrow white and black barring over the breast and belly

Males have a single spur

Females are un-spurred, unpatterned, have a browner back blotched with black and a narrower creamy streaking, irregular belly markings edged with black that appear mottled or triangular, ochre on the face and throat, a grey breast patterned with cream-colored triangular marks on the base of the feathers, a plain, creamy belly, and sparsely barred flanks. There is also a degree of individual variation among the females have broad white shaft streaks, little transverse bars, and orange-red sides on the head and throat (Hall, 1963).

Juveniles look similar to the females with rufous and black-barred scapulars and mantle

The closest relatives of this species are the White-Throated Francolin (Campocolinus albogularis) and the Coqui Francolin (Campocolinus coqui)

The Schlegel’s Francolin is rare throughout her range with scattered populations throughout the woodland and savannah belt from west-central Cameroon (Adamaqua Massif) east through northern Central African Republic and southern Chad to western South Sudan (Bahr-el-Ghazal) and part of southern Sudan

The White-Throated Francolin can be found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, and Zambia

The Coqui Francolin is the most widespread francolin in Africa and is common in the southern half of the continent with some populations reaching as far the Western Sahel and Ethiopia

Schlegel’s Francolin differs from the White-Throated Francolin by having an orange throat (instead of white), rufous primaries in flight, a reduced quail-like patterning on the back, a more pronounced sexual dimorphism, and the fact that the males have broad buff shaft streaks with some streaks having transverse blackish-brown bars. The former is duller brown with the rest of the wing being rufous in color (Mandiwana-Neudani et al., 2019).

Habitat

Savannah belt north of the Congo forest and dense woodlands where Isoberlinia doka trees are numerous with lots of grass cover (Hall, 1963)

Behavior

Considered to be technophobic and very cautious around humans

Occasionally seen near cultivated edges

Flies only short distances and is silent

Seen in pairs, small family groups, and occasionally with other francolins

Members of this species sleep underneath trees or underground (IUCN Red List)

Schlegel’s Francolins and other members of the Campocolinus genus have high-pitched strophes with a harsh, tinny introductory element followed by a pause and then another 5-7 elements that trail away in volume with regards to the tonal and trilling parts. The calls of each species can be viewed as forming a stepped cline starting with the Coqui Francolin in South Africa. In this cline, Schlegel’s Francolin stands in the middle. The main difference between the advertising strophes of the species in this genus is their their duration (Schlegel’s Francolin- 1.89 seconds, White-Throated Francolin- 1 second, Coqui Francolin- 1.95 seconds) (Crowe et al., 2020).

Call is similar to the Coqui and White-Throated francolins but faster and lower-pitched

Sounds include a trumpet-like "ter-ink-terra" or "KWEEK! kre-kre-krekrekrekew"

The first note is the loudest with the rest accelerating to become more grated and faded at the end

Does a soft "korrr-korrr-korrr" near dusk (Birds of the World)

The strophe of Schlegel’s Francolin has 7 elements. The first is more tonal with rising harmonics and some trilled parts. The second is fully trilled. The remaining elements start with an over-slurred component followed by trilling.

The strophe of this species is similar to that of her relatives, the White-Throated and Coqui francolins, with some differences

The strophe of the White-Throated Francolin is short with 6 tonal elements. These elements have stable harmonics with some parts trilled

The strophe of the Coqui Francolin has 8 elements that can be split into 2 parts. The first part has stable harmonics. The second part is composed of trilling and descending harmonics.

The inter-element pause for the three species are as follows: Schlegel’s Francolin- 0.37 seconds, White-Throated Francolin- 0.10 seconds, Coqui Francolin- 0.25 seconds (Mandiwana-Neudani et al., 2019)

Breeding

Possibly monogamous

Eggs seen between September and November in South Sudan

Nest is a slight hollow or cavity dug below the ground lined with mainly grass and leaves (IUCN Red List)

2-5 cream-colored eggs

Diet

Eats leaves of the Isoberlinia doka tree from the ground, grass, grain seeds, and caterpillars (Birds of the World)

Other Information

Extent of Occurrence- 633,000 km²

Life span- 4.56 years (IUCN Red List)

Schlegel’s Francolin is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN that did its last assessment in 2024. Due to the bird’s large range, the IUCN did not think this species met the thresholds to be classified as Vulnerable. Even though the population was never quantified, experts believe it is stable. However, do not let the large range and mystery surrounding this bird fool you. This bird faces challenges that are not represented by the data. The countries that are included within the range of Schlegel’s Francolin are experiencing massive challenges that threaten the existence of this species. South Sudan is still recovering from a decades-long civil war and suffers from lack of funding and damaged infrastructure that hampers the ability of its government to protect wildlife from poachers, deforestation, agricultural expansion, climate change, and desertification. Similar challenges plague Chad, Sudan, and the Central African Republic with the rate of deforestation, habitat loss, poaching, soil degradation, pollution, and agricultural expansion increasing with every passing year. It is unclear how all of this is affecting Schlegel’s Francolin who is very wary around humans. It is essential that we don’t get complacent due to the bird’s Least Concern status and that we find more information regarding this species’ whereabouts and the state of its habitat throughout its range (IUCN Red List).

For a distribution map of Schlegel’s Francolin, click here.

Schlegel’s Francolin is perhaps one of the most poorly known francolin species in the world and certainly one of the scarcest in Africa. Sightings of this shy bird have been rare since she was first described by Hermann Schlegel in 1863.

During the twentieth century, three specimens of Schlegel’s Francolin were collected at Mboro, Bahr-El-Ghazel (both in South Sudan), and Chad in 1949 (Mandiwana-Neudani et al., 2019).

In 1960, while working with francolin specimens at the Chicago Natural History Museum, Melvin Traylor found a specimen of Schlegel's Francolin that was collected 60 miles south of Yaoundere, Cameroon at Ubangi-Shari in what is now the Central African Republic. This specimen was collected on March 13, 1953 by A.I Good. The specimen had a richer chestnut color above and deeper buff below compared to other male specimens of this species. Traylor believed the specimen was indeed a Schlegel’s Francolin due to the known variability between members of this species and the fact that he did not believe there was enough biological diversity in this part of the Central African Republic to justify the existence of a new species of francolin since Schlegel’s Francolin and others species of francolin were already in the area. He named this specimen Francolinus schlegelii confusus. To this day, the status of this specimen still perplexes many taxonomists (Traylor, 1960).

From 1976-1984, G. Nikolaus and his wife did intense fieldwork in what is now Sudan and South Sudan. They explored bush, wooded grassland, woodland, swamps, floodplains, and highland forest habitats in order to give an accurate account of the species in those areas. During their survey they found over six species of francolin in these biomes including Schlegel’s Francolin (whom they called the Banded Francolin). According to them, this species was rare in these areas. In fact, this bird was so rare that Nikolaus and his wife only spotted the bird three times over the course of their eight-year survey. They found Schlegel’s Francolin in South Sudan within woodlands and heavily wooded grassland with ironstone clearings near "ka" trees (Isoberlina doka) (Nikolaus, 1987).

There have only been three recorded sightings of Schlegel’s Francolin in the twenty-first century so far. The first sighting was made by James Holmes on March 23, 2005 and the second was made by Nik Borrow on April 4, 2006. Both francolins were seen at Ngoundaba Ranch in Adamaoua, Cameroon.

The last sighting was by Thierry Aebischer Chinko on March 27, 2012 who saw a juvenile of this species at Rafai in the Central African Republic (Birds of the World). The species has not been seen since then but is thought to not be in any danger. In all likelihood, the bird is still present in her range waiting for an intrepid birdwatcher or ornithologist to check up on her.

Conduct a new survey to find Schlegel’s Francolin throughout her range to verify the status of her habitat and to check up on the biological health of the species.

Order: Galliformes

Family: Phasianidae

Genus: Campocolinus

Species: Campocolinus schlegelii

The taxonomic history of Schlegel’s Francolin has been almost as controversial as that surrounding the francolins in general.  At first, the species was seen by some as a subspecies of the Coqui Francolin and others as a distinct species depending on the author and checklist in question. Among those who saw the bird as a subspecies included C.G Sibley, B.L Monroe, James Chapin, and J.P Peters while another group ( that included B.P Hall and C.W Mackworth-Praed) were convinced that this bird was a distinct species. The status of Schlegel’s Francolin was tied to the notion that the genus Francolinus was monophyletic, the largest genus among Galliformes, and one of the largest genera in the Aves class.

When this genus was coined in the early 19th century, it had been repeatedly fragmented and lumped into many genera over the years. In 1924, A. Roberts split it into 7 genera and 11 species. From the 1930s to the 1970s, ornithologists such as Peters, Mackworth-Praed, and Grant split it into two genera with others (such as H.E Wolters) claiming it had six genera. Hall used the Biological Species Concept (BSC) to argue for a single Francolinus genus that recognized 8 superspecies/groups, 41 species, and 117 subspecies. T.M Crowe during the 1980s and 1990s identified 2 basal clades of quail-like francolins and patridge-like spurfowls by using the Consilience Species Concept (CSC) and DNA sequence-based molecular evolutionary research in order to reject the monophyly of the genus Francolinus. He recognized two groups of African quail-like francolins and African spurfowls but he did not propose any viable alternative. Later studies in the 2000s recommended radical changes that split the genus Francolinus into two monophyletic clades: true quail-like francolins and patridge-like African spurfowls. As of now, the francolins are divided between the Francolinus, Ortygornis, Peliperdix, Campocolinus, and Scleroptila genera (Crowe et al., 2022).

B.P Hall in her landmark study (1963) argued that the genus Francolinus was monophyletic and that Schlegel’s Francolin was a distinct species. She divided the francolins into 8 groups: Spotted, Bare-Throated, Montane, Scaly, Vermiculated, Striated, Red-winged, and Red-Tailed. She placed Schlegel’s Francolin in the Red-Tailed group of quail-like francolins along with its closest relatives the White-Throated and Coqui francolins. According to Hall, francolins in the Red-Tailed group prefer woodland, savannah, and steppe habitat, are often found on the same ground as other francolins, mostly allopatric, have ochre on the sides of the face that spread as a collar on the hind neck, a crown that is plain brown or chestnut that contrasts with a quilt-like back (except in female Schlegel’s francolins which have minimal cross bars and striations), are either grey, black, or vinous rufous, have a rufous tail or a pinkish wash on outer feathers, a white or buff throat that contrasts with the breast, and the males having a single spur.

Hall was the first to argue for the distinct species status of Schlegel’s Francolin. She contended that the bird’s closest relative was the White-Throated Francolin and not the Coqui Francolin whom many confused the former with being a subspecies of the latter. She theorized that all three members of the Red-Tailed group shared the same ancestors until climactic events split them into three separate species. She divides this process into 6 evolutionary stages. The first stage corresponds to the savannah and woodlands habitats in northeast Africa where a common ancestor of the Red-Tailed group called home. The second stage saw the spread of montane forest that the group split into the ancestors of Schlegel’s (proto-Schlegel’s Francolin) and White-Throated francolins (proto-White-Throated Francolin) north of the forest and those of the Coqui Francolin (proto-Coqui Francolin) in the east. The third stage show proto-Coqui francolins spreading south and west into dry savannah habitat with proto-Schlegel’s and proto-White-Throated francolins occupying wetter savannah and woodland habitats surrounding the lowland forest of the Congo basin. The fourth stage witnessed the division of the Congo Forest into western (occupied by proto-White-Throated francolins) and eastern blocks (occupied by proto-Schlegel’s francolins) with proto-Coqui francolins going through the acacia corridor to the northern acacia belt. The fifth stage is where the two forest blocks rejoined with proto-Schlegel’s francolin in the east and proto-White-Throated francolins in the west and south. During this stage, proto-Coqui francolins adapted and competed with proto-White-Throated francolins in the south (former woodland and latter open grasslands). The last stage saw the Coqui Francolin successfully adapt and compete with other francolins while the spread of the Double-Spurred (Pternistis bicalcaratus) and Heuglin’s (Pternistis icterorhynchus) francolins put pressure on Schlegel’s and the White-Throated francolins. According to Hall, it is this competition for space and resources that pushed Schlegel’s Francolin into inaccessible and sparsely populated areas; making the species rarer in her range (Hall, 1963). For decades, ornithologists accepted Hall’s classification and theories almost without question regarding the francolins and the placement of Schlegel’s Francolin within the Francolinus genus.

This changed when T.M Crowe et al. (1992) reviewed studies relating to the DNA of 13 species of African francolins, the morphology and behavior of 41 francolin species, and the morphometrics of a range of Galliformes (including 25 species within the genus Francolinus). Their goal was to determine the monophyly of the Francolinus genus, investigate the genetic variation between African francolins, estimate the divergence times in the genus, and assess the taxonomic implications of their findings. During their study they included the morpho-behavioral traits of Schlegel’s, the White-Throated, and Coqui francolins. They rejected the monophyly of the Francolinus genus and described two major clades among African francolins: the patridge-like and quail-like francolins. While they disproved the monophyly of the Francolinus genus supported by Hall, they confirmed her hypothesis relating to the monophyly of the Red-Tailed group of francolins that Schlegel’s Francolin was placed in based on morpho-behavioral data. Based on their findings, they suggested that the genus Francolinus be split into 4 genera: Francolinus, Peliperdix, Scleroptila, and Pternistis. Crowe et al. were the first to place Schlegel’s Francolin and her relatives in the Red-Tailed group in the Peliperdix genus.

In 2019, a study by Tshifhiwa Mandiwana-Neudani et al. (2019) analyzed 79 Asio-African francolin species in order to revise the taxonomy surrounding them. Their study was based on the Consilience Species Concept that combined evidence from various data sets in order to examine taxa based on the reinforcing convergence of complementary characters and to identify species with evolutionarily independent lineages. They included museum specimens, vocalizations, and physical morphological characters in their study. Among the museum specimens were three of Schlegel’s Francolin collected at Mboro, Bahr-El-Ghazel, and Chad collected in 1949. Mandiwana-Neudani et al. recognized 4 genera and 31 species. They even created a new genus (Afrocolinus). What is particularly interesting are their findings on Schlegel’s Francolin and other members of what is known as the Red-Tailed group or Peliperdix genus of francolins. They concurred with Hall in that Red-Tailed francolins are small, sexually dimorphic, live in woodlands, savannah, and tall grassland, have a red-buff tail, have a quail-like patterning on the back, a black bill with yellow at the base, yellow tarsi with a single, sharp spur (males only), crowns that vary in color from grey to brown or rufous depending on the species, and produce high-pitched strophes with an introductory element followed by a pause and then another 5-7 elements that trail away in volume and have tonal and trilling with variations in terms of pitch and duration. Their findings differed from Hall in that they broke up the Francolinus genus into five genera: Francolinus, Ortygornis, Afrocolinus, Peliperdix, and Scleroptila. They placed Schlegel’s Francolin in the Peliperdix genus. They confirmed that the Red-Tailed group that includes Schlegel’s Francolins and her closest relatives (the White-Throated and Coqui francolins) is indeed monophyletic as many suspected. They also theorized that, based on the evidence, the speciation between species in the Peliperdix genus was determined by the emerging savannah and woodland habitats caused by aridification in Africa as well as the expansion and contraction of Lake Chad over the centuries.

A year later, Timothy Crowe et al. (2020) challenged the assertion of Mandiwana-Neudani et al. concerning Schlegel’s Francolin’s placement in the Peliperdix genus. They not only placed this species in the Peliperdix genus but they also placed Latham’s Francolin (Peliperdix lathami) in the genus Afrocolinus. Their classification violated the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). This is because when Latham’s Francolin was described by Lucien Bonaparte in the 19th century, he used the term Peliperdix for the first time to describe this species. As a result, the term Afrocolinus became synonymous with Peliperdix. To further complicate things, the term has been used several times to refer to other francolin taxa such as Schlegel’s Francolin and other members of the Red-Tailed group with both this group and the Peliperdix genus having conflicting taxonomic histories. To bolster Mandiwana-Neudani et al.’s argument, they suggested that since there was no applicable name for the Red-Tailed group of francolins under the ICZN, they suggested that the genus Peliperdix be restricted to just Latham’s Francolin and that the members of the Red-Tailed group (including Schlegel’s Francolin) be placed in a new genus: Campocolinus. This new genus would meet the standards of the ICZN and would include nine African francolins with distinct morphology, genetic divergence, and preferences for grassland, savannah, and woodland habitats. They described the francolins in this genus as being small, sexually dimorphic, having a orange/red-buff tail, a quail-like mottled or barred back feathers with pale shaft stripes, a black bill with yellow base, yellow tarsi, and males having a single, sharp spur. Many ornithologists accepted the changes and suggestions of Mandawani-Neudani et al. and Crowe et al. As a result, many checklists today place Schlegel’s Francolin and their relatives in the genus Campocolinus.