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Southern African Upland Game birds: Guineafowl, Quail, Sandgrouse, Francolin, Spurfowl
offered by supplier M17801 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 1
- 10
day(s)
Group Size: 2
- 10
people
Destination:
South Africa
Specialty Category:
Birding outfitters
Season: January - December
Min Price: 800 South Africa Rand (ZAR) per person
Max Price: 1500 South Africa Rand (ZAR) per person
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Recent classifications (Game birds of Southern Africa. Little, Crowe and Barlow. 2000. Hirt and Carter) separate francolins and spurfowls from partridges but farmers and locals still use old classifications. As a guideline, most francolins are not suitable for hunting but most spurfowl are.
Guineafowl. Probably our most famous game birds with their bare heads and bright necks. Interestingly, this nakedness helps the guineafowl to forage in the heat of the day. There are several other species in west, central and northern Africa as well.
Crested guineafowl. Known for their curly feathers on top of their heads, these guineafowl prefer forests and eat fruit and insects. South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo. Africa: Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
Helmeted guineafowl. This is the most widespread upland game bird. Recently, there has been quite substantial interbreeding with feral or domesticated guineafowl which results in white feathers and a similar loss of color in legs and neck. South Africa: country-wide except for Limpopo. Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
Quail. These are the smallest game birds in the region and are also nomadic and migratory. African blue quail is the rarest, its numbers being dependent on the amount of rain in a season. South Africa: Kwazulu-Natal. Africa: Zimbabwe, Angola, Kenya, Ethiopia, West Africa.
Common quail. Migrating long distances at night and moving in large groups these birds prefer grassland areas. Unfortunately, hunting them in large groups coincides with their breeding season. South Africa: country-wide. Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe. North African populations Congo, Angola, Namibia, Zambia.
Harlequin quail. Prefering wetter grasslands, the harlequin quail form large coveys of around 20 birds in the non-breeding season. South Africa: Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Free State. Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe.
Sandgrouse. Sandgrouse are good hunting birds and have been harvested regularly since the first European settlers arrived in the 1800s.
Burchell's sandgrouse. These sandgrouse are well adapted for the desert's intense heat. South Africa: Northern Cape, North West, Limpopo. Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Angola.
Double-banded sandgrouse. Preferring wooded areas, the double-banded sandgrouse are usually nocturnal. South Africa: Limpopo, Northern Cape. Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Angola.
Namaqua sandgrouse. Named for the desert area that they frequent, the namaqua sandgrouse forms large coveys in the non-breeding season. South Africa: Western Cape, Northern Cape. Africa: Namibia, Botswana.
Yellow-throated sandgrouse. This is the largest of the sandgrouse and is found mainly in wet areas such as swamps and rivers. South Africa: Limpopo. Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia.
Coqui francolin. The coqui francolin is the smallest francolin in the region and is also the most widely spread, although its grassland habitats are under threat of destruction. They have a particularly late breeding season is late and most hunting takes place in the late winter and spring months to accommodate this. South Africa: Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo. Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
Crested francolin. Most commonly known as a partridge to local farmers, this bird responds well to calling. It is found in woodlands or thick bush and is fairly widespread in the area. South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Gauteng. Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
Greywing francolin. The most hunted species and the only southern African francolin to really withstand commercial shooting, this is one of South Africa's most successful commercial wing shooting ventures, particularly in the Eastern Cape. South Africa: Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Free State.
Orange river francolin. A prolific game bird in the Northern Cape up until the 1930s, this francolin prefers both sandy areas and grasslands. South Africa: Limpopo, Free State, Northern Cape. Other: Namibia, Angola, Botswana.
Redwing francolin. This is the largest of the francolins and frequents grasslands, much of which is under threat. South Africa: Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Free State.
Shelley's francolin. Shelley's francolin is found mainly in more moist grasslands. South Africa: Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo. Africa: Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
Cape spurfowl. This is the largest of the spurfowl family and is unique to the heath vegetation areas of South Africa. South Africa: Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Karoo, West Coast. Hartlaub's spurfowl is the smallest spurfowl, the Hartlaub is found around stony outcrops and in sandy areas. It is endemic to Namibia. Other: Namibia.
Natal spurfowl. Forming coveys of about 10 birds, these birds are found in a wide variety of areas. They have been known to search elephant and rhino dung for seeds. South Africa: Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, Free State. Other: Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique.
Redbilled spurfowl. Often referred to as "wild" chickens because of their scratching for food on the ground, these spurfowl frequent dry and sandy areas. South Africa: Northern Cape. Other: Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana.
Rednecked spurfowl. Found mainly in dense forests and wooded areas. South Africa: Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo. Other: Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
Swainson's spurfowl. Still known as Swaison's Francolin, these birds have responded well to changes in their environment and encroachment by habitation and agriculture. They live in tall grasslands and have been seen to feed in the moonlight. South Africa: Free State, North West, Gauteng, Limpopo. Other: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique.
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South Africa
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Call Supplier M17801
extension 17801 |
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