NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Swierstra's Francolin
Pternistis swierstrai (Roberts, 1929)
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
Swierstra's spurfowl (Pternistis swierstrai) is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found only in Angola in the rapidly shrinking Afromontane forests of peaks such as Mount Moco and Mount Soque.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The scientific name commemorates the South African entomologist Cornelis Jacobus Swierstra.
Wikipedia contributors, Swierstra's spurfowl; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:50:43.356915+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pternistis swierstrai (Roberts, 1929)
- Name authority
- (Roberts, 1929)
- Common name
- Swierstra's 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.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderGalliformes
- familyPhasianidae
- genusPternistis Wagler, 1832
- speciesPternistis swierstrai (Roberts, 1929)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pternistis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Double-spurred FrancolinPternistis bicalcaratus (Linnaeus, 1766) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chestnut-naped FrancolinPternistis castaneicollis (Salvadori, 1888) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Clapperton's FrancolinPternistis clappertoni (Children & Vigors, 1826) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hartlaub's FrancolinPternistis hartlaubi (Barboza du Bocage, 1869) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Harwood's FrancolinPternistis harwoodi (Blundell & Lovat, 1899) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jackson's FrancolinPternistis jacksoni (Ogilvie-Grant, 1891) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-necked SpurfowlPternistis leucoscepus (G. R. Gray, 1867) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Handsome FrancolinPternistis nobilis (Reichenow, 1908) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray-breasted FrancolinPternistis rufopictus Reichenow, 1887 | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Swainson's FrancolinPternistis swainsonii (A. Smith, 1836) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Heuglin's FrancolinPternistis icterorhynchus (Heuglin, 1863) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-billed FrancolinPternistis adspersus (Waterhouse, 1838) | PhasianidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Francolinus swierstrai (Roberts, 1929) (Roberts, 1929) | synonym |
| Chaetopus swierstrai Roberts, 1929 Roberts, 1929 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
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.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=553864 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:4PV76. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.