Black-fronted spurfowl
Pternistis atrifrons (Conover, 1930)
The black-fronted spurfowl (Pternistis atrifrons) is a species in the family Phasianidae, order Galliformes. Recorded adults weigh about 791.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.
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Quick facts about the black-fronted spurfowl
- Weight
- 791.5 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the black-fronted spurfowl live?
Not recorded
What is the black-fronted spurfowl?
The chestnut-naped spurfowl (Pternistis castaneicollis) is a species of bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. At 33–37 cm (13–15 in) in length and weighing 550–1,200 g (19–42 oz), it is a large species of spurfowl.
It is found in Ethiopia and Somaliland. The population is believed to be stable but according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) there is insufficient data to make an estimate of the population.
From the Wikipedia article “Chestnut-naped spurfowl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chestnut-naped_spurfowl&oldid=1380703361), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the black-fronted spurfowl endangered?
The black-fronted spurfowl is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species. What the categories mean.
How is the black-fronted spurfowl classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderGalliformes
- familyPhasianidae
- genusPternistis
- SpeciesPternistis atrifrons (Conover, 1930)
Synonyms Francolinus atrifrons, Francolinus castaneicollis atrifrons, Pternistis castaneicollis atrifrons
Other names and names in other languages (12)
- Black-fronted francolinEnglish
- Mendebo-bjergfrankolinDanish
- SchwarzstirnfrankolinGerman
- Francolín frentinegroSpanish
- Francolin à front noirFrench
- crnočela jarebicaCroatian
- ZwartmaskerfrankolijnDutch
- szponiastonóg czarnoczelnyPolish
- francolim-de-testa-pretaPortuguese
- francolim-de-fronte-pretaPortuguese
- frankolínec etiópskySlovak
- svartpannad frankolinSwedish
Relatives of the black-fronted spurfowl
Other species in the same genus Pternistis.
Red-necked spurfowl
Pternistis afer
Double-spurred spurfowl
Pternistis bicalcaratus
Cape spurfowl
Pternistis capensis
Grey-striped spurfowl
Pternistis griseostriatus
Yellow-necked spurfowl
Pternistis leucoscepus
Natal spurfowl
Pternistis natalensis
CompareBlack-fronted spurfowl vs Red-necked spurfowlBlack-fronted spurfowl vs Double-spurred spurfowlBlack-fronted spurfowl vs Cape spurfowlBlack-fronted spurfowl vs Grey-striped spurfowl
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the black-fronted spurfowl?
An adult black-fronted spurfowl weighs 791.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the black-fronted spurfowl endangered?
The black-fronted spurfowl is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
What kind of animal is the black-fronted spurfowl?
The black-fronted spurfowl (Pternistis atrifrons) belongs to the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Black-fronted spurfowl (Pternistis atrifrons). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-fronted-spurfowl
“Black-fronted spurfowl (Pternistis atrifrons).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-fronted-spurfowl.
@misc{black_fronted_spurfowl_2026,
title = {Black-fronted spurfowl (Pternistis atrifrons)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-fronted-spurfowl},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}