Scleroptila is a genus of birds in the francolin group of the tribe Gallini of the pheasant family. Its nine species range through Sub-Saharan Africa.
Taxonomy
The genus Scleroptila was introduced in 1852 by the English zoologist Edward Blyth. Although the title page is dated 1849, the book was not published until 1852. See: The genus name combines the Ancient Greek σκληρος/sklēros meaning "stiff" with πτιλον/ptilon meaning "feather". Blyth listed two species in the genus but did not specify the type. In 1893 William Robert Ogilvie-Grant designated the type as Perdix levaillantii Valenciennes, 1825, the red-winged francolin.
The genus contains nine species are:
Image Common name Scientific name Distribution Ring-necked francolin Scleroptila streptophoraBurundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Red-winged francolin Scleroptila levaillantiiAngola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia Finsch's francolin Scleroptila finschiAngola, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, parts of Cameroon, and Gabon Moorland francolin Scleroptila psilolaemaEthiopia Grey-winged francolin Scleroptila afraLesotho and South Africa Orange River francolin Scleroptila gutturalisEthiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda and Kenya Shelley's francolin Scleroptila shelleyi Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe Whyte's francolin Scleroptila whyteiDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, and Zambia Elgon francolin Scleroptila elgonensisUganda (Mount Elgon) to central Kenya
References
Further reading