Pternistis adspersus
Silhouette: Amanda Kuhlman · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The red-billed spurfowl (Pternistis adspersus), also known as the red-billed francolin, is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The species exhibits sexual dimorphism in size. Males are larger, measuring 38 cm (15 in) in length and weighing 340–635 g (12.0–22.4 oz), whereas females measure 33 cm (13 in) in length and weigh 340–549 g (12.0–19.4 oz). The species has barred underparts (in contrast to the related Natal spurfowl) and a conspicuous yellow eye-ring.
The red-billed spurfowl was described in 1838 by the English naturalist George Robert Waterhouse from specimens collected by James Edward Alexander on his expedition to Namaqualand and Damaraland. Waterhouse coined the binomial name Francolinus adspersus and noted that the specimens had come near the Fish River in what is now Namibia. The specific epithet adspersus is Latin for "sprinkling". The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. The red-billed spurfowl is considered as monotypic: the proposed subspecies mesicus is not... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 3 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 4 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 5 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 6 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-billed Francolin sighting in Hwange National Park on a given day, based on 163 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 28th most-seen of the 308 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and November–December
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Red-billed Francolin in Hwange National Park on a given day, against about 30% in January–June and August–October, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-billed Francolin sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Red-billed Francolin sightings, Hwange National Park ranks 5th at about 30%. The best odds are in Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, over 90%), Moremi Game Reserve (Botswana, about 70%) and Chobe National Park (Botswana, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Pternistis
The closest relatives of the Red-billed Francolin that you can see in Hwange National Park (genus Pternistis, African Spurfowl) are Swainson's Francolin (about 50%) and Natal Francolin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-billed Francolin is recorded against all the birds logged in Hwange National Park (163 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
