Birds Active during the day

Red-winged Francolin

Scleroptila levaillantii

iNaturalist eBird Wikipedia

With its striking white throat and flash of rufous wings, the Red-winged Francolin is a jewel of the African highlands. Often heard before it's seen, this ground-dwelling bird adds a soulful soundtrack to the mountain mist.

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0 Habitats

Quick Identification

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Size

32–35 cm (12.5–13.8 in) in length; weight ranges from 360–550g (0.8–1.2 lbs)

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Colors

Upperparts are intricately patterned with brown, buff, and grey; white throat with a distinct black-and-white speckled border; prominent rufous-red flight feathers visible in flight.

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Key Features

Bright rufous-red wing patches visible during flight
Clean white throat patch framed by a speckled black collar
Intricately barred chestnut and white underparts
Stocky, ground-dwelling silhouette with a short, strong beak

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active during the day

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Peak hours 6-9 AM, 4-6 PM

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Season Year-round

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Diet Omnivorous; primarily digs for underground bulbs, tubers, and corms, but also eats seeds, fallen grain, and insects like grasshoppers and termites.

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Habitat High-altitude grasslands, montane moorlands, and damp valley floors with long grass.

public Geographic range

Where Does the Red-winged Francolin Live?

The Red-winged Francolin is a quintessential African highland bird, predominantly found across the eastern and southern regions of the continent. Its native range stretches from the mist-belt grasslands of South Africa and Lesotho through the montane plateaus of Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia, reaching as far north as the high-altitude regions of Kenya and Uganda. It is a specialist of well-watered, high-elevation habitats where the grass remains lush for much of the year.

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors

12 Countries

1.2M km² Range

Least Concern Conservation

ZA South Africa Lesotho Eswatini ZM Zambia Malawi TZ Tanzania KE Kenya UG Uganda Democratic Republic of the Congo Angola Rwanda Burundi

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

Red-winged Francolins are predominantly ground-dwelling birds that prefer to run rather than fly when disturbed. They are most famous for their loud, ringing calls often heard at dawn and dusk, which serve as territorial markers for coveys—small family groups of 4 to 8 birds. While they are generally shy, they can become habituated to humans in areas where they aren't hunted, often foraging near rural homesteads or quiet garden edges.

During the day, they spend their time scratching through the soil for food or taking dust baths to maintain their plumage. They are highly territorial, and males will often find a high point, like a termite mound or a rock, to announce their presence. Their social structure is tight-knit, and the group relies on collective vigilance to spot predators like hawks or jackals.

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Camera Tips

To capture the Red-winged Francolin, place your camera low to the ground—no higher than 6 to 10 inches. These birds spend almost their entire lives on foot, and a knee-high mounting point ensures you get a clear, eye-level profile rather than a view of the top of their heads. Target the edges of tall grass or areas where the grass meets a dirt track, as they love to use these 'highways' for easy movement and dust bathing.

Since they are active foragers, look for areas with disturbed soil or evidence of digging. While they don't respond strongly to traditional bird feeders, you can entice them with a scattering of mixed wild bird seed or cracked corn in a flat, open patch of ground near cover. They are creatures of habit, so if you spot them once, they are likely to return to that exact spot around the same time the following day.

Set your camera to a multi-shot burst mode or short video clips. Because they move with a characteristic 'stop-start' pecking motion, a single photo often misses the best angle of their intricate plumage. Dawn and the 'golden hour' before sunset are the best times for lighting, but also when they are most active and vocal. If your camera has a sensitive microphone, the video will often capture their beautiful, rhythmic whistling calls.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Red-winged Francolin.

Orange River Francolin

Smaller with a thinner neck collar and typically found in much drier, more arid environments.

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Frequently Asked Questions

They are most active during the early morning and late afternoon. You'll often hear their distinctive ringing calls at dawn as they begin foraging and again before they roost for the night in thick grass.

If you live near their natural grassland habitat, you can attract them by keeping a portion of your garden wild with long grass. They are also drawn to open patches of soil for dust bathing and may visit for scattered grain or birdseed.

Their diet is diverse, consisting of underground bulbs and tubers which they dig up with their strong beaks, as well as seeds, berries, and various insects like termites and ants.

They are generally less common in dense suburban areas compared to other francolins. They prefer large, open spaces like golf courses, mountain estates, and rural gardens that border natural grasslands.

Look at the throat and wings. The Red-winged Francolin has a clear white throat with a black-and-white speckled border, whereas the Grey-winged has a grey-mottled throat. In flight, the Red-winged shows much more prominent rufous-red patches on the wings.

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