About Afrotis afra (Linnaeus, 1758)
The southern black korhaan, scientifically named Afrotis afra (Linnaeus, 1758), is a ground-dwelling bird that shows sexual dimorphism. Males have a main checkered black-and-white body plumage, paired with a black underbelly and black neck. They also have white markings on the underwings, cheeks, and in stripes above the eyes. In contrast, females have checkered brown-and-white body plumage, with the entire head, neck, and breast matching the body color. Both males and females have bright yellow legs. Males are slightly larger than females. Males have a wingspan ranging from 27 cm (10.6 in) to 28 cm (11.0 in), while females have a wingspan of 25 cm (9.8 in) to 26 cm (10.2 in). The tail of this species is between 12 cm (4.7 in) and 13 cm (5.1 in) long. Males have a larger bill, measuring 3.8 cm to 3.9 cm (1.5 in), while females have a bill that is approximately 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long. The bill is reddish with a black tip. The average lifespan of the southern black korhaan is 10 years. This species is endemic to southwestern South Africa, with a range extending from Namaqualand south to Cape Town, and east to Makhanda, covering an area of approximately 254,000 km² (98,000 sq mi). It prefers open, semi-arid habitats including shrublands and savannahs that allow easy access to grass-dwelling arthropod prey, and also occurs in grasslands adjacent to marshland.
