Swainson's spurfowl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Swainson's spurfowl
Adult bird in Kruger National Park and evening call from Pretoria, South Africa
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Pternistis
Species:	swainsonii
geographic distribution
Synonyms
Francolinus swainsonii

The Swainson's spurfowl, also known as Swainson's francolin (Pternistis swainsonii), is a type of bird found in southern Africa. It belongs to the Phasianidae family, which includes pheasants and partridges.

In Zimbabwe, people who speak the Shona language call this bird chikwari or horwe. It is known for its tasty meat. The bird was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist, who studied birds.

Where It Lives

You can find the Swainson's spurfowl in grasslands and woodlands. These birds live in many countries across southern Africa.

• Angola
• Botswana
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• South Africa
• Eswatini
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

About Its Name

A young chick in Kruger Park

Another chick in Kruger Park

A juvenile bird in Zambia

The Swainson's spurfowl was first described in 1836. A Scottish zoologist named Andrew Smith gave it the scientific name Perdix swainsonii.

Smith noted that these birds lived near rivers beyond a place called Kurrichaine. This area is now part of the Limpopo province in South Africa. The second part of its scientific name, swainsonii, honors the English naturalist William John Swainson.

Today, the Swainson's spurfowl is placed in the genus Pternistis. This group of birds was named by a German naturalist, Johann Georg Wagler, in 1832. The Swainson's spurfowl is considered a single species, meaning there are no widely recognized subspecies or different types of this bird.