Bird Album
Cape Spurfowl
Pternistis capensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
40–42 cmLength630 gWeight
The Cape spurfowl or Cape francolin (Pternistis capensis) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae.
Busiest months: September–October · Most records: South Africa
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: September–October · Most records: South Africa
Cape Spurfowl has been recorded at 23 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Kirstenbosch Botanical GardenSouth Africa2,848 records
- Strandfontein WTPSouth Africa1,835 records
- West Coast NPSouth Africa1,024 records
More places
- West Coast NP – Geelbek hides vicinitySouth Africa711 records
- De Hoop Nature ReserveSouth Africa562 records
- Harold Porter Botanical GardensSouth Africa393 records
- Rietvlei Wetlands ReserveSouth Africa370 records
- West Coast NP – Abrahamskraal hideSouth Africa351 records
- West Coast NP – Seeberg hideSouth Africa333 records
- Rondevlei NRSouth Africa330 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Cape spurfowl or Cape francolin (Pternistis capensis) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is endemic to southern Africa, where it is the largest francolin. It occurs in the Western Cape province of South Africa, and locally northwards to southern Namibia.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Cape Spurfowl?
The Cape Spurfowl is about 40–42 cm long and weighs around 630 g.
Where does the Cape Spurfowl live?
Its breeding range: Africa: western, southwestern South Africa. It is most often recorded in South Africa.
When is the best time to see the Cape Spurfowl?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September and October (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Cape Spurfowl endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Cape Spurfowl as Least Concern.
What does the Cape Spurfowl eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Cape Spurfowl in?
It belongs to the family Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae), order Galliformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 40–42 cm
- Weight
- 630 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 206 mm
- Tail
- 89 mm
- Bill
- 30 mm
- Tarsus
- 62 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: western, southwestern South Africa
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Pheasants & Allies Phasianidae
- Genus
- Pternistis
Other birds in the genus Pternistis
Hartlaub's SpurfowlPternistis hartlaubi
Mount Cameroon SpurfowlPternistis camerunensis
Handsome SpurfowlPternistis nobilis
Chestnut-naped SpurfowlPternistis castaneicollis
Erckel's SpurfowlPternistis erckelii
Djibouti SpurfowlPternistis ochropectus
Swierstra's SpurfowlPternistis swierstrai
Ahanta SpurfowlPternistis ahantensis
Grey-striped SpurfowlPternistis griseostriatus
Jackson's SpurfowlPternistis jacksoni
Red-billed SpurfowlPternistis adspersus
Natal SpurfowlPternistis natalensis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Daryl de Beer. ↗
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