Natal spurfowl explained

The Natal spurfowl or Natal francolin (Pternistis natalensis) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.It is found in Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Taxonomy

The Natal spurfowl was described in 1833 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith and given the binomial name Francolinus natalensis. He noted that the species inhabited brushwood thickets in the vicinity of Natal, in the east of South Africa.^[1] The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832.^{[2] [3]} A phylogenetic study published in 2019 found that the Natal spurfowl is sister to Hildebrandt's spurfowl.^[4] The Natal spurfowl is considered as monotypic: the proposed subspecies neavei is not recognised.^[3]

External links

• (Natal spurfowl =) Natal francolin - Text and species map from Southern African Bird Atlas Project

Notes and References

1. Smith . Andrew . Andrew Smith (zoologist) . 1833 . Francolinus natalensis . South African Quarterly Journal . 2 . 48 .
2. Wagler . Johann Georg . Johann Georg Wagler . 1832 . Neue Sippen und Gattungen der Säugthiere und Vögel . Isis von Oken . cols 1218–1235 [1229] . German, Latin .
3. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . 2020 . Pheasants, partridges, francolins . IOC World Bird List Version 10.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 14 February 2020 .
4. Mandiwana-Neudani . T.G. . Little . R.M. . Crowe . T.M. . Bowie . R.C.K. . 2019 . Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of African spurfowls Galliformes, Phasianidae, Phasianinae, Coturnicini: Pternistis spp. . Ostrich . 90 . 2 . 145–172 . 10.2989/00306525.2019.1584925 .