Red wing frankolin

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Red wing frankolin
Red wing frankolin in South Africa

Red wing frankolin in South Africa

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Chicken birds (Galliformes)
Family : Pheasants (Phasianidae)
Genre : Frankoline ( Francolinus )
Type : Red wing frankolin
Scientific name
Francolinus levaillantii
( Valenciennes , 1825)

The red-winged frankolin ( Francolinus levaillantii , syn .: Scleroptila levaillantii ), also called mountain frankolin , is a 33 centimeter member of the pheasant-like family .

Appearance

These birds have mostly brown plumage, except on the chest, neck and head, where it is reddish brown. The abdomen and sides of the body and are light brown. Many small, thin, elongated light, dark brown and black stripes run across the dark brown back and wings. The belly and the chest are provided with many thin red-brown and black stripes. The neck has a thick orange, white and black spotted stripe. The throat is white, the beak is black. The head is provided with a thick, orange stripe in the area around the eyes, which runs down to the neck. There is a narrow, elongated, gray stripe behind the eye. The forehead is black and has a very thin white stripe on both sides. The strong legs are yellowish and have 4 thick claws. The only difference between the sexes, which are inconspicuous in terms of coloration, is that the females have slightly shorter claws on their legs.

Distribution and way of life

Red wing frankolin in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

This species is found in Angola , Burundi , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Kenya , Lesotho , Malawi , Rwanda , Republic of South Africa , Swaziland , Tanzania , Uganda and Zambia . It inhabits mountain regions at altitudes of 2,300–3,3000 meters. There the red-winged francolin can be found on the grass and bushes of the slopes. Outside of the breeding season, they migrate through their territory in smaller groups of 4 to 8 animals. They fly very rarely, but then very quickly and usually very flat over the ground in order to escape enemies, and when this threat is over they return to the starting point. The red-winged frankolin feeds on plant seeds, grass, buds, flowers and smaller fruits, and insects and their larvae that they scrape out of the ground or simply peck are not spurned. Their natural enemies include various birds of prey and crawling cats .

Reproduction

During the mating season, the males of the Redwing Frankolin usually draw attention to themselves in the evening hours with very loud calls. The female is responsible for building the nest and hatching the eggs. It builds a shallow hollow in the ground near bushes, which it covers with dry foliage and grass. 4–8 sand-colored eggs are placed in it. The incubation period is 26 days. The male keeps watch during this and warns the female of impending dangers from enemies. Both parents take care of the young, especially insects and larvae. After hatching, the young leave the nest immediately, move through the area with their parents and learn to look after themselves. The boys take to the skies for the first time when they are one week old.

Hazards and protective measures

Since this species is still relatively common and no threats are known, it is classified by the IUCN as ( Least Concern ) not endangered. Humans hunt the red-winged francolin only occasionally because of its tasty meat.

literature

  • Jiří Felix (eds.), Jaromír Knotek, Libuše Knotková: African fauna in color. Translated from the Czech by Roland Schür. Karl Müller Verlag, Erlangen 1989, pp. 226-227.
  • Christopher M. Perrins (Ed.): The FSVO encyclopedia birds of the world. Translated from the English by Einhard Bezzel. BLV, Munich / Vienna / Zurich 2004, ISBN 978-3-405-16682-3 , pp. 176-181 (title of the English original edition: The New Encyclopedia Of Birds. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2003).

Web links

Commons : Rotflügelfrankolin ( Scleroptila levaillantii )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files