The Yellow-Necked Spurfowl (Pternistis leucoscepus) is also called the Yellow-Necked Francolin. It is an East African bird, found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The Yellow-Necked Spurfowl is a medium-sized terrestrial (ground) bird with dark-grey feathers, flecked with white. It has a grey head, a red mask around its eyes, and a yellow patch on its neck. It has a short, dark-grey beak and dark-grey legs.

Each of their legs has one short spur at the back. A spur is an outgrowth of bone, similar to a horn. Only spurfowl, turkeys, and guineafowl have spurs on the back of their legs. The spurs might be used in defense.

Yellow-Necked Spurfowl

The Yellow-Necked Spurfowl is related to pheasants, domestic poultry (chickens), partridges, guineafowl, and peafowl.

It is most active at dawn and dusk, which is called crepuscular.

Yellow-Necked Spurfowl

Yellow-Necked Spurfowl

Yellow-Necked Spurfowl

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM