Other Names: Black Partridge, Indian Francolin

Subspecies: Six according to Johnsgard: Francolinus francolinus francolinus, F. f. arabistanicus, F. f. henrici, F. f. asiae, F. f. bogdanovi, and F. f. melanonotus. It is believed that the subspecies kept in American aviaies is the asiae which is native to western India.

Range: Southern Asia, from Cyprus and the Caspian region east through India; once found in southern Europe west into Spain, has now been re-established in central Italy. Has been introduced and established on four of the Hawaiian Islands and Guam. Has also been introduced into Louisiana and southern Florida, but their numbers are very low.

Habitat: Varied, prefers areas of thick vegetation, usually near water.

Status in Wild: As mentioned, the Black Francolin once had a broad range from Spain east to India, now has been eliminated from most of Europe and is threatened in Russia and in Cyprus. The status in Asia has not been well documented. Where it has been introduced on Hawaii, it is now thriving and is a game species; the status in Louisiana and Florida is not known at this time.

Images

Click on thumbnails for larger views.

Photo Credits
(l to r): 1-2, Dan Cowell.

---

Links

Links related to this species. Please note, links will open in a new window.

• Black Francolin - Birdguides.com species factsheet.
• Wikipedia - Black Francolin - Birdlife species factsheet.
• Black Francolin - Mangoverde World Bird Guide Species Page; Images & Sounds.
• Black Francolin - Natural history about this species on Cyprus.
• Black Francolin - The Oriental Bird Club Image Database.
• Francolinus francolinus Images - Images of this species located at the Phasianidae group on flickr.
• Wikipedia - Black Francolin - Wikipedia's species page.

Additional Info Image Gallery Links Bibliography Species Home