Black Francolin, Bird

Black Francolin, Francolinus francolinus is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The Black Francolin is one of the few species of francolins that are found outside Africa. It resides in Kashmir and northeast India. The Black Francolin is found in scrubby habitats. It forms its nests in a bare ground scrape. The normal clutch is eight to ten white spotted pale brown greenish eggs. The Black Francolin feeds on wide variety of plants and insect food.

The Grey Partridge sized male is mainly black in colour with white spots on the back and flanks. It has a chestnut neck collar, white patches on the cheeks and brown coloured wings. The legs are red in colour. The female is mainly brown in colour but the hind neck is chestnut in colour. The extent of the white spots on the flanks varies from species to species.

There is nothing very remarkable about this species. During the spring season the male bird sings a mechanical kik- kik- kik from a heap. The male`s call from the territory is loud and grating kwee- kweeee- kwee. The flight is very explosive that of a pheasant and it prefers to creep away unnoticed.