Ortygornis sephaena
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 →
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Francolin sighting in Moremi Game Reserve on a given day, based on 218 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 93rd most-seen of the 334 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Francolin in Moremi Game Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in February–May, July and October, the lowest months.
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.
23rd of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Crested Francolin sightings, Moremi Game Reserve ranks 23rd at about 20%. 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 Moremi Game Reserve (family Phasianidae, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies) are Red-billed Francolin (about 70%) 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 Moremi Game Reserve (218 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.
