Swainson's spurfowl


Swainson's spurfowl or Swainson's francolin is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In the Shona language in Zimbabwe, this bird is called the chikwari and is considered a delicacy by outdoor and hunting enthusiasts.
Swainson's spurfowl was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist.

Taxonomy

Swainson's spurfowl was described in 1836 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith and given the binomial name Perdix swainsonii. Smith noted that the spurfowl inhabited the banks of the rivers beyond Kurrichaine, the modern province of Limpopo in South Africa. The specific epithet swainsonii was chosen to honour the English naturalist William John Swainson. The species is now placed in the genus Pternistis that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. Swainson's spurfowl is treated as monotypic: the proposed subspecies lundazi is not recognised.
One syntype specimen of Perdix Swainsonii''” Smith, is held in the collections of National Museums Liverpool at World Museum, with accession number D1587. The specimen was collected on the “Banks of Rivers beyond Kurrichaine", Transvaal