Pternistis leucoscepus
Silhouette: Amanda Kuhlman · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The yellow-necked spurfowl or yellow-necked francolin (Pternistis leucoscepus) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. This species is named for the yellow patch found on its neck. Males of this species have been noted to have spurs on the back of their legs.
The yellow-necked spurfowl was described in 1867 by the English ornithologist George Robert Gray and given the binomial name Francolinus leucoscepus. The type locality is Ethiopia. The specific epithet leucoscepus combines the Ancient Greek leukos meaning "white" and skepas meaning "covering" or "mantle". The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832.
Two subspecies are recognised: It has been noted that this bird is most active at dawn and dusk. The bird is also noted to be very adaptable... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 10 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 11 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 12 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 13 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 14 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 15 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Zlín-Lešná Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-necked Francolin sighting in Serengeti National Park on a given day, based on 123 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 240th most-seen of the 469 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and December–March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-necked Francolin in Serengeti National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–June and August–November, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-necked 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.
12th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Yellow-necked Francolin sightings, Serengeti National Park ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Meru National Park (Kenya, about 80%), Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 80%) and Tarangire National Park (Tanzania, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Pternistis
The closest relatives of the Yellow-necked Francolin that you can see in Serengeti National Park (genus Pternistis, African Spurfowl) are Grey-breasted Francolin (about 40%) and Red-necked Francolin (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-necked Francolin is recorded against all the birds logged in Serengeti National Park (123 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.
