Francolinus francolinus

Francolinus francolinus

The black francolin (Francolinus francolinus Linnaeus, 1766) is a bird of the Phasianidae family.

Systematics –
From the systematic point of view it belongs to the Eukaryota Domain, Animalia Kingdom, Eumetazoa Sub-rank, Bilateria Branch, Superphylum Deuterostomia, Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Vertebrata, Infraphylum Gnathostomata, Superclasse Tetrapoda, Classe Aves, Sottoclasse Neornamigliae, Suborder Neognamigliae, Superorder Neognamigliae Perdicinae and therefore to the genus Francolinus and to the species F. francolinus.
Within this species, the following subspecies are recognized, with their respective areas of distribution:
– F. f. francolinus (Linnaeus, 1766): Turkey, on the Caspian, in the Caucasus, in southern Syria, Israel and Cyprus;
– F. f. arabistanicus Zarudny & Härms, 1913: central and southeastern Iraq and western Iran;
– F. f. Bogdanovi Zarudny, 1906: Southern Iran and Afghanistan up to the Balochistan region in southern Pakistan;
– F. f. Henri Bonaparte, 1856: Pakistan and western India;
– F. f. asiae Bonaparte, 1856: western Nepal, in India up to West Bengal;
– F. f. melanonotus Hume, 1888: Eastern Nepal, Eastern India and Bangladesh.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
The black francolin is a widespread bird in South Asia, with a large distribution range from Cyprus through the Middle East and in Central Asia to Bangladesh.
The species, with its subspecies, is widespread in Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan; it was also introduced in Portugal, its presence in Lebanon is uncertain, while it is now extinct in Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.
Its preferential habitat seems to be that of hill or lowland ecotones, with the presence of prairies and in the vicinity of swampy areas, or waterways and river deltas, cultivated fields (often with cereal crops), vineyards and orchards up to at 400-600 m asl.

Description –
The black francolin is a bird that is recognized for having a length ranging from 33 to 36 cm, with a wingspan of 50–55 cm and a weight of 320-550 g.
This species exhibits sexual dimorphism.
In the male, the lower part of the body is black, with white streaks on the back and sides. It has a chestnut-red neck, white markings on the cheek and brown wings. The legs are red.
The female has an overall brown body, with white streaks; on the back of the neck there is a red-chestnut spot.
The eggs vary in color from light brown to olive green, sometimes dotted with white.
The call of the black francolin, described as a loud klik cheek-cheek-cheerakik or “kik-kik-kik”, “kwee-kweeeee-kwee” can be heard in the morning and evening and most of the day during the breeding season . The male makes his call from standing on a mound of earth, a bundle, a rock or a branch of a low tree and is soon joined by other birds responding from all directions.

Biology –
The reproductive period of Francolinus francolinus is preceded by a particular behavior of the male who begins to emit calls at intervals of 10-15 seconds, positioning himself on a rock or on a mound of earth to attract the attention of the female.
In the rump of courtship, the male collects food to present it to the female, dropping it repeatedly. If the female does not respond immediately, accepting the food that the male offers her, the male intensifies his efforts, amplifying the movements of the head and emitting an even louder song.
Francolinus francolinus is a monogamous species.
Mating takes place between March and August, after which there is a single brood with about 7-12 eggs.
The nest is built in a depression in the ground.
The eggs are incubated by the female for 18-19 days, while the young are cared for all winter by both parents.

Ecological Role –
The black francolin is a bird that inhabits arid environments characterized by low vegetation; it is a sedentary and territorial bird. It is often solitary in nature, especially during the reproductive period while in captivity it is more gregarious, with a rapid flight even if it prefers to move on the ground.
It has a varied diet as it feeds on plants and insects. In particular, it feeds on seeds, small plants and berries, invertebrates (earthworms, molluscs, insects and their larvae), small reptiles and amphibians and small mice.
As for the main predators, these are represented by foxes, birds of prey and wild boars.
According to the IUCN, the demographic trend of the world population is to be considered stable, while it is not common in Europe, except on the island of Cyprus, where it is growing, due to the pressure of hunting and the loss of habitats.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– C. Battisti, D. Taffon, F. Giucca, 2008. Atlas of nesting birds, Gangemi Editore, Rome.
– L. Svensson, K. Mullarney, D. Zetterstrom, 1999. Guide to the birds of Europe, North Africa and the Near East, Harper Collins Publisher, UK.