Crested Francolin ( Dendroperdix sephaena, family: Phasianidae)
The Crested Francolin (Latin name Dendroperdix sephaena) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 189 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 63 also a picture of the Crested Francolin on page 80. The
Crested Francolin belongs to the family of birds classified as
Phasianidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African
Ornithology the Crested Francolin is also known by these other names:
Kirk's Francolin.
The Robert's 7 Latin name for Crested Francolin has changed from Francolinus sephaena in Robert's 6 to Dendroperdix sephaena
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Crested Francolin is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Crested Francolin in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Crested Francolin : see above distribution map.
The Crested Francolin.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Crested Francolin is a bird a little bit bigger than a starling. The height of the Crested Francolin is about 35 cms and its weight is about 380 gms
You will find that the male Crested Francolin plumage and colours are different to that of the female Crested Francolin
- Head is brown.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is grey.
- Throat is white.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are purplish red.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Crested Francolin feeds on the ground mainly
Invertebrates
Fruits
Seeds
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Crested Francolin is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Dendroperdix sephaena will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Crested Francolin is to create the nest on the ground. The bird lays eggs which are cream in colour and number between 3 to 7
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Crested Francolin are: woodlands . The Crested Francolin is also at home in wetland and bushveld areas.
You can expect to see Crested Francolin in flocks, or pairs or as single birds.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... isiKhwehle
Afrikaans ...Bospatrys
German ... Schopffrankolin
Portuguese ... Francolim-de-poupa
French ... Francolin hupp
Dutch ... Kuiffrankolijn
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 189
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
