Ortygornis sephaena
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >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 →
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Francolin sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 3,428 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 41st most-seen of the 464 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–June and September–October
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Francolin in Kruger National Park on a given day, against about 30% in July–August and November–February, the lowest months. Those are among Kruger National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in February.
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.
14th of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Crested Francolin sightings, Kruger National Park ranks 14th at about 40%. The best odds are in Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 70%), 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 Kruger National Park (family Phasianidae, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies) are Natal Francolin (about 60%) and Swainson's Francolin (about 40%), 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 Kruger National Park (3,428 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.
