Pternistis natalensis
Silhouette: Amanda Kuhlman · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Natal spurfowl or Natal francolin (Pternistis natalensis) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The Natal spurfowl was described in 1833 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith and given the binomial name Francolinus natalensis. Smith noted that the species inhabited brushwood thickets in the vicinity of Natal, in the east of South Africa. The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. A phylogenetic study published in 2019 found that the Natal spurfowl is sister to Hildebrandt's spurfowl. The Natal spurfowl is considered as monotypic: the proposed subspecies neavei is not recognised.
(Natal spurfowl = ) Natal francolin - Text and species map from Southern African Bird Atlas Project Audio recordings of the Natal spurfowl on Xeno-canto. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 6 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 8 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 9 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 10 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 12 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 3 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia Bioparc | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Natal Francolin sighting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, based on 31 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 162nd most-seen of the 257 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.
March–May, October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Natal Francolin in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, June–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Natal 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.
9th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Natal Francolin sightings, South Luangwa National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa, about 60%), Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 60%) and Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Pternistis
The closest relatives of the Natal Francolin that you can see in South Luangwa National Park (genus Pternistis, African Spurfowl) are Swainson's 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 Natal Francolin is recorded against all the birds logged in South Luangwa National Park (31 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.
