Handsome francolin

The Handsome Spurfowl is a distinguished member of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. This sizeable forest bird is easily identifiable by its reddish-brown plumage, grey head, red bill and legs, and brown eyes. Both males and females exhibit similar coloration, although the females tend to be slightly smaller.

The Handsome Spurfowl inhabits the montane forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, southwestern Uganda, and the border regions of Burundi and Rwanda. Notoriously elusive and difficult to observe, these birds primarily subsist on a diet of seeds.

German ornithologist Anton Reichenow formally described the Handsome Spurfowl in 1908. It was earlier assigned to the genus Pternistis by Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. The bird’s scientific name, Pternistis nobilis, includes the term “nobilis,” which translates to noble or renowned. Notably, there are no recognized subspecies of this bird; it is monotypic.

Concerning conservation, the Handsome Spurfowl is generally considered common within its indicative range. However, recent studies in southwestern Uganda observed the bird in only 1 out of 10 survey points. Despite being currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, the species' strong preference for the increasingly rare montane bamboo forest habitat suggests that its conservation status may warrant reassessment.