Pternistis nobilis
Silhouette: Amanda Kuhlman · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The handsome spurfowl (Pternistis nobilis) is a species of bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is a large, up to 35 cm long, terrestrial forest bird with a dark reddish brown plumage, grey head, red bill and legs, brown iris, bare red orbital skin and rufous grey below. Both sexes are similar. The female is slightly smaller than male. The young has duller plumage.
The handsome spurfowl is distributed in mountain forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, southwest Uganda and borders between Burundi and Rwanda. It is a shy and elusive bird, more often heard than seen. The diet consists mainly of seeds.
The handsome spurfowl was described in 1908 by the German ornithologist Anton Reichenow from a specimen collected on Mount Sabyinyo in the Virunga Mountains. Mount Sabyinyo is in Rwanda, on the border with the Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Reichenow coined the binomial name Francolinus nobilis. The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. The specific epithet nobilis is Latin for "noble", "famous" or "renowned". The handsome spurfowl is monotypic: no subspecies... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 3 | Volcanoes National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 4 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo |
No species of the same family or order lives in Volcanoes National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Handsome Francolin sighting in Volcanoes National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 98th most-seen of the 156 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.
January, May–July and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Handsome Francolin in Volcanoes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–April, August and October–December, the lowest months.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Handsome Francolin sightings, Volcanoes National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda, about 10%) and Nyungwe National Park (Rwanda, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Handsome Francolin is recorded against all the birds logged in Volcanoes National Park (20 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.
