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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Cameroon Francolin

Pternistis camerunensis (Alexander, 1909)

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Geographic distribution of the Mount Cameroon spurfowl (Pternistis camerunensis). The distribution is based on Figure 2 in: Mandiwana-Neudani, T.G.; Little, R.M.; Crowe, T.M.; Bowie, R.C.K. (2019). "Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of African spurfowls Galliformes, Phasianidae, Phasianinae, Coturnicini: Pternistis spp". Ostrich. 90 (2): 145–172. doi:10.2989/00306525.2019.1584925 Base map: File:Africa_location_map_without_rivers.svg Map cropped and distribution added using Inkscape 0.92.4

Geographic distribution of the Mount Cameroon spurfowl (Pternistis camerunensis). The distribution is based on Figure 2 in: Mandiwana-Neudani, T.G.; Little, R.M.; Crowe, T.M.; Bowie, R.C.K. (2019). "Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of African spurfowls Galliformes, Phasianidae, Phasianinae, Coturnicini: Pternistis spp". Ostrich. 90 (2): 145–172. doi:10.2989/00306525.2019.1584925 Base map: File:Africa_location_map_without_rivers.svg Map cropped and distribution added using Inkscape 0.92.4

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Open encyclopedia reference

The Mount Cameroon spurfowl (Pternistis camerunensis) is a bird species in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is found only in Cameroon.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Wikipedia contributors, Mount Cameroon spurfowl; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:05:39.866038+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Pternistis camerunensis (Alexander, 1909)
Name authority
(Alexander, 1909)
Common name
Cameroon Francolin
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Galliformes
Family
Phasianidae
Genus
Pternistis
Extinction status
Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classAves
  9. orderGalliformes
  10. familyPhasianidae
  11. genusPternistis Wagler, 1832
  12. speciesPternistis camerunensis (Alexander, 1909)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Pternistis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Double-spurred FrancolinPternistis bicalcaratus (Linnaeus, 1766)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Chestnut-naped FrancolinPternistis castaneicollis (Salvadori, 1888)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Clapperton's FrancolinPternistis clappertoni (Children & Vigors, 1826)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Hartlaub's FrancolinPternistis hartlaubi (Barboza du Bocage, 1869)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Harwood's FrancolinPternistis harwoodi (Blundell & Lovat, 1899)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Jackson's FrancolinPternistis jacksoni (Ogilvie-Grant, 1891)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Yellow-necked SpurfowlPternistis leucoscepus (G. R. Gray, 1867)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Handsome FrancolinPternistis nobilis (Reichenow, 1908)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Gray-breasted FrancolinPternistis rufopictus Reichenow, 1887PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Swainson's FrancolinPternistis swainsonii (A. Smith, 1836)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Heuglin's FrancolinPternistis icterorhynchus (Heuglin, 1863)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Red-billed FrancolinPternistis adspersus (Waterhouse, 1838)PhasianidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 123 records assigned to Phasianidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Francolinus camerunensis Alexander, 1909 Alexander, 1909synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Africa

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=553863 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:4PV6K. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.