CreatureData

Cape spurfowl

Pternistis capensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The cape spurfowl (Pternistis capensis) is a species in the family Phasianidae, order Galliformes. Recorded adults weigh 547 g to 757.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Cape spurfowl (Pternistis capensis)
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the cape spurfowl

Weight
547 g – 757.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
6.9 – 7.2src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the cape spurfowl live?

Not recorded

What is the cape spurfowl?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Cape spurfowl or Cape francolin (Pternistis capensis) is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is endemic to southern Africa, where it is the largest francolin. It occurs in the Western Cape province of South Africa, and locally northwards to southern Namibia. It has adapted to alien vegetation and a variety of human-altered habitats, but scrubby roosting and nesting space is a prerequisite. The species is not threatened.

From the Wikipedia article “Cape spurfowl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_spurfowl&oldid=1314352756), 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 cape spurfowl endangered?

The cape spurfowl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the cape spurfowl classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderGalliformes
  5. familyPhasianidae
  6. genusPternistis
  7. SpeciesPternistis capensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

Synonyms Francolinus capensis, Perdix clamator, Tetrao capensis

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • Cape francolinEnglish
  • Cape francolinEnglish
  • CASPEnglish
  • Kaapse FisantAfrikaans
  • دراج كيبArabic
  • francolí del CapCatalan
  • frankolín kapskýCzech
  • KapfrankolinDanish
  • kaba frankolinoEsperanto
  • Francolín de El CaboSpanish
  • kapi frankoliin (kapi-frankoliinkana)Estonian
  • kapinfrankoliiniFinnish
  • Francolin criardFrench
  • Pterniste criardFrench
  • kapska jarebicaCroatian
  • fokföldi frankolinHungarian
  • Francolino del CapoItalian
  • ケアプキジシャコJapanese
  • ケープキジシャコJapanese
  • kapinis frankolinasLithuanian
  • Kaapse FrankolijnDutch
  • kappfrankolinNorwegian
  • szponiastonóg przylądkowyPolish
  • francolim-do-caboPortuguese
  • Капский турачRussian
  • Капский франколинRussian
  • frankolínec pobrežnýSlovak
  • Kapski frankolinSerbian
  • kapsporrhönaSwedish
  • Kap TuracıTurkish
  • турач капськийUkrainian
  • 南非鷓鴣Chinese
  • 南非鹧鸪Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the cape spurfowl

Other species in the same genus Pternistis.

CompareCape spurfowl vs Red-necked spurfowlCape spurfowl vs Double-spurred spurfowlCape spurfowl vs Grey-striped spurfowlCape spurfowl vs Yellow-necked spurfowl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the cape spurfowl?

An adult cape spurfowl weighs 547 g – 757.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the cape spurfowl endangered?

The cape spurfowl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the cape spurfowl?

The cape spurfowl (Pternistis capensis) 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.

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.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Cape spurfowl (Pternistis capensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-spurfowl

MLA

“Cape spurfowl (Pternistis capensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-spurfowl.

BibTeX
@misc{cape_spurfowl_2026,
  title = {Cape spurfowl (Pternistis capensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-spurfowl},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}