Coqui Francolin

Francolinus coqui

Other Pics: Male Coqui Francolin

Other Names

    Francolin coqui   Coquifrankolin   Francolín Coqui     Coqui-frankolijn   Francolino coqui

World: Africa: from southern Sudan and Ethiopia, through East Africa and then widely distributed S of the Congo forests. Absent from the arid SW of the continent. There is also an isolated population occurring in W Africa from Nigeria through to Mauritania.

Kenya: Absent from the northern part of the country (it does not occur N of 1°N) and also from much of the East, except for the southern part of the coastal strip and the Tanzanian border. Elsewhere it is locally common the central Rift Valley and S to the Mara.

Feeds on seeds (mostly grass or grain) as well as small insects. It can be difficult to see as it is rather shy and freezes when alarmed (this makes it less likely to be flushed from cover). Tends to occur in pairs and is essentially a sedentary bird (it only flies under extreme pressure). We have found that they are most easily seen in the Maasai Mara where the pair pictured above where photographed in 2001.