Orange River Francolin
Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0

Partridges, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies

Orange River Francolin

Scleroptila gutturalis

LCLeast Concern
Family
Partridges, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies (Phasianidae)
Order
Galliformes

Overview

The Orange River francolin (Scleroptila gutturalis) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae found in grassland and woodland in Africa. In the taxa from the northern part of its distribution (Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda and Kenya), the neck-line does not reach the eye and the belly is whitish. In the southern taxa (Angola, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Lesotho) the neck-line reaches the eye and the belly is buff. This has led some authorities to treat them as separate species: The Archer's or acacia francolin (S. gutturalis with subspecies lorti) in the north, and the Orange River francolin (S. levaillantoides with subspecies jugularis) in the south.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.