Harwood's Francolin
The Harwood's Francolin (Pternistis harwoodi) is a species of bird in the Phasianidae family. It is a grey-brown bird with red bill and tail, and red bare skin around the eyes. Both sexes have similar coloring, although the female is paler in color with a more extensive buff belly.
This francolin is endemic to Ethiopia, having a range restricted to the Ethiopian highlands on either side of the Blue Nile river between Lake Tana and its confluence with the Jamma River, as well as its tributaries between these points. Originally thought to inhabit Typha beds growing along small, shallow watercourses and Acacia thickets, studies in 1996 found F. harwoodi in a site with neither of these. It is threatened by habitat loss as population pressures force locals into the marginal scrublands favored by the bird as its habitat. F. harwoodi is heavily hunted for food and is sometimes also caught for sale at local markets; its eggs are also a food source.
This francolin is endemic to Ethiopia, having a range restricted to the Ethiopian highlands on either side of the Blue Nile river between Lake Tana and its confluence with the Jamma River, as well as its tributaries between these points. Originally thought to inhabit Typha beds growing along small, shallow watercourses and Acacia thickets, studies in 1996 found F. harwoodi in a site with neither of these. It is threatened by habitat loss as population pressures force locals into the marginal scrublands favored by the bird as its habitat. F. harwoodi is heavily hunted for food and is sometimes also caught for sale at local markets; its eggs are also a food source.
