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 →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Francolin sighting in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 67th most-seen of the 118 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.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Francolin in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, against about 10% in May, July and September–March, the lowest months. That is one of Waterberg Plateau Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 110 mm in January. April and June have too few records to rate.
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.
24th of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Crested Francolin sightings, Waterberg Plateau Park ranks 24th at about 10%. 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 Waterberg Plateau Park (family Phasianidae, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies) are Red-billed Francolin (over 90%) and Hartlaub's Francolin (about 20%), 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 Waterberg Plateau Park (19 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.
