Pternistis swainsonii
Silhouette: Amanda Kuhlman · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Swainson's spurfowl or Swainson's francolin (Pternistis swainsonii) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae which is native to southern Africa. In the Shona language in Zimbabwe, this bird is called the chikwari or horwe and is considered a delicacy by outdoor and hunting enthusiasts. Swainson's spurfowl was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist.
It is found in grasslands and woodlands of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Swainson's spurfowl was described in 1836 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith and given the binomial name Perdix swainsonii. Smith noted that the spurfowl inhabited the banks of the rivers beyond Kurrichaine (Kaditshwene), the modern province of Limpopo in South Africa. The specific epithet swainsonii was chosen to honour the English naturalist William Swainson. The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. Swainson's spurfowl is treated as monotypic: the proposed subspecies lundazi is not recognised.
One syntype specimen of Perdix Swainsonii Smith (Rep.... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 6 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 7 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 8 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 10 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 11 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 12 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 13 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 2 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Swainson's Francolin sighting in Kafue National Park on a given day, based on 77 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 130th most-seen of the 338 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Swainson's Francolin in Kafue National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, the lowest month. That is one of Kafue National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 290 mm in January.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Swainson's Francolin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Swainson's Francolin sightings, Kafue National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 50%), Hwange National Park (Zimbabwe, about 50%) and Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Pternistis
The closest relatives of the Swainson's Francolin that you can see in Kafue National Park (genus Pternistis, African Spurfowl) are Red-necked 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 Swainson's Francolin is recorded against all the birds logged in Kafue National Park (77 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.
