Ortygornis sephaena
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The crested francolin (Ortygornis sephaena) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in southern Africa. One of its subspecies, Ortygornis sephaena rovuma, is sometimes considered a separate species, Kirk's francolin.
Formerly, the crested francolin was classified in its own genus Dendroperdix, but phylogenetic analysis indicates that it groups with the grey francolin (O. pondicerianus) and swamp francolin (O. gularis). As a result, all three species were reclassified into the genus Ortygornis.
Ortygornis sephaena zambesiae (Mackworth-Praed, 1920) Crested Francolin - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds Wikipedia →
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Francolin sighting in Kidepo Valley National Park on a given day, based on 322 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Francolin in Kidepo Valley National Park on a given day, against about 60% in August, the lowest month. That is one of Kidepo Valley National Park's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain against 130 mm in July. April and May have too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crested 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.
Yes
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Crested Francolin sightings, Kidepo Valley National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Meru National Park (Kenya, about 60%) and Tarangire National Park (Tanzania, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Phasianidae
The closest relatives of the Crested Francolin that you can see in Kidepo Valley National Park (family Phasianidae, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies) are Clapperton's Francolin (about 70%), Harlequin Quail (about 10%) and Common Quail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crested Francolin is recorded against all the birds logged in Kidepo Valley National Park (322 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.
