Black Francolin

Basic Description

The Black Francolin is an elusive game bird, often remaining out of view as it creeps through grasslands and shrublands. When they reveal themselves, both males and females expose spectacular colors and patterns: the female a rich golden-brown spangled with black and white, and the male a striking black and chestnut with bold white flank spots, zebra stripes at the tail, and gold highlights above. Though they’re shy and hard to see, Black Francolins are widespread—ranging from the eastern Mediterranean to South Asia—and have been introduced to the Hawaiian Islands and Guam.