About Pternistis afer (P.L.S.Müller, 1776)
Pternistis afer, commonly known as the red-necked spurfowl, has a body length ranging from 25 to 38 cm (9.8 to 15.0 inches), with considerable size variation between its different subspecies. As a generally dark-colored spurfowl, it has brown plumage on its upperparts, and underparts that are grey or white with black streaks. Its bill, bare facial skin, neck, and legs are all bright red. This species is distributed across central Africa, located below the Congo Basin. Its confirmed range includes Angola, southern Gabon, and the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. In eastern Africa, its range extends from Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi down to southern Kenya and Tanzania. Its distribution continues south along the eastern side of Southern Africa, and it is absent from most of Namibia, most of Botswana, and the western parts of South Africa. The red-necked spurfowl is a wary species that typically stays in deep cover. However, it will sometimes feed in open scrub or cultivated areas when levels of disturbance are low, and thickets are located nearby. Its nest is a simple bare scrape in the ground, and it lays between three and nine eggs per clutch.
