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Guide to North American Birds

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Photo: Balaji Venkatesh Sivaramakrishnan/Flickr Creative Commons

Black Francolin

Francolinus francolinus

Similar in size to a Gray Partridge (13-15”, 33-36 cm), the Black Francolin is an introduced game bird in Hawaii, with small populations also living in Florida and Louisiana. The male is distinctive, with his black face, white patch below the eye, chestnut collar and black chest. The female has paler and more uniform plumage, brown with darker and lighter barring. The female’s wings are darker than her body, and she has two notable markings, a white throat and a chestnut patch on the back of the neck. Juveniles are generally similar to adult females.
Family Pheasants and Grouse
Habitat Thick vegetation, brushy areas and tall grasslands; generally near water. Inhabits “mosaic” areas where forests and cultivated lands meet, but is not an interior forest bird. More closely associated with water than many other partridges.
Similar in size to a Gray Partridge (13-15”, 33-36 cm), the Black Francolin is an introduced game bird in Hawaii, with small populations also living in Florida and Louisiana. The male is distinctive, with his black face, white patch below the eye, chestnut collar and black chest. The female has paler and more uniform plumage, brown with darker and lighter barring. The female’s wings are darker than her body, and she has two notable markings, a white throat and a chestnut patch on the back of the neck. Juveniles are generally similar to adult females.
Photo Gallery



Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
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Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds

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Songs and Calls
Creaking sound, loud during breeding season.
Audio © Lang Elliott, Bob McGuire, Kevin Colver, Martyn Stewart and others.
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