CreatureData

Handsome spurfowl

Pternistis nobilis (Reichenow, 1908)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The handsome spurfowl (Pternistis nobilis) is a species in the family Phasianidae, order Galliformes. Recorded adults weigh 637.1 g to 878.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Handsome spurfowl (Pternistis nobilis)
Photo: Mickey Samuni-Blank · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the handsome spurfowl

Weight
637.1 g – 878.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Granivoresrc 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
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the handsome spurfowl live?

Not recorded

What is the handsome spurfowl?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The handsome spurfowl (Pternistis nobilis) is a species of bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is a large, up to 35 cm long, terrestrial forest bird with a dark reddish brown plumage, grey head, red bill and legs, brown iris, bare red orbital skin and rufous grey below. Both sexes are similar. The female is slightly smaller than male. The young has duller plumage.

The handsome spurfowl is distributed in mountain forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, southwest Uganda and borders between Burundi and Rwanda. It is a shy and elusive bird, more often heard than seen. The diet consists mainly of seeds.

From the Wikipedia article “Handsome spurfowl” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Handsome_spurfowl&oldid=1380595258), 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 handsome spurfowl endangered?

The handsome 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 handsome spurfowl classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderGalliformes
  5. familyPhasianidae
  6. genusPternistis
  7. SpeciesPternistis nobilis (Reichenow, 1908)

Synonyms Francolinus nobilis, Francolinus nobilis chapini, Francolinus nobilis nobilis, Pternistis nobilis chapini, Pternistis nobilis nobilis

Other names and names in other languages (33)
  • Handsome francolinEnglish
  • Handsome francolinEnglish
  • HASPEnglish
  • دراج وسيمArabic
  • francolí nobleCatalan
  • frankolín ugandskýCzech
  • Uganda BjergfrankolinDanish
  • EdelfrankolinGerman
  • uganda frankolinoEsperanto
  • Francolín nobleSpanish
  • ruanda frankoliin (ruanda frankoliinkana)Estonian
  • دراج خوشسیماPersian
  • ugandanvuorifrankoliiniFinnish
  • Francolin nobleFrench
  • Pterniste nobleFrench
  • sivoglava jarebicaCroatian
  • Francolino magnificoItalian
  • ウツクシシャコJapanese
  • puošnusis frankolinasLithuanian
  • BamboefrankolijnDutch
  • szponiastonóg ciemnyPolish
  • سوہنا چکورWestern Panjabi
  • francolim-nobrePortuguese
  • Угандский турачRussian
  • Угандийский франколинRussian
  • frankolínec kráľovskýSlovak
  • Ugandski frankolinSerbian
  • rostbukig frankolinSwedish
  • rostbukig sporrhönaSwedish
  • Küçük Bambu TuracıTurkish
  • турач угандійськийUkrainian
  • 艳鹧鸪Chinese
  • 艷麗鷓鴣Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the handsome spurfowl

Other species in the same genus Pternistis.

CompareHandsome spurfowl vs Red-necked spurfowlHandsome spurfowl vs Double-spurred spurfowlHandsome spurfowl vs Cape spurfowlHandsome spurfowl vs Grey-striped spurfowl

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the handsome spurfowl?

An adult handsome spurfowl weighs 637.1 g – 878.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the handsome spurfowl endangered?

The handsome 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 handsome spurfowl?

The handsome spurfowl (Pternistis nobilis) 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.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Handsome spurfowl (Pternistis nobilis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/handsome-spurfowl

MLA

“Handsome spurfowl (Pternistis nobilis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/handsome-spurfowl.

BibTeX
@misc{handsome_spurfowl_2026,
  title = {Handsome spurfowl (Pternistis nobilis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/handsome-spurfowl},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}