Pternistis leucoscepus
Silhouette: Amanda Kuhlman · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
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 |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-necked Francolin sighting in Tarangire National Park on a given day, based on 1,075 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 411 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–May and November
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-necked Francolin in Tarangire National Park on a given day, against about 40% in August, the lowest month. Those are among Tarangire National Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain a month against almost none in September.
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.
3rd of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Yellow-necked Francolin sightings, Tarangire National Park ranks 3rd at about 70%. The best odds are in Meru National Park (Kenya, about 80%) and Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 80%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Pternistis
The closest relatives of the Yellow-necked Francolin that you can see in Tarangire National Park (genus Pternistis, African Spurfowl) are Red-necked Francolin (about 70%) and Hildebrandt's Francolin (about 10%), 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 Tarangire National Park (1,075 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.
