Hailing from the African region extending from the Northern Sudan to Ethiopia, the Erckel’s Francolin was brought over to the United States in the late 1950s and 60s in an effort to bring more variety to North American game hunting. Today, it is most commonly found in Hawaii where it makes its home in the brush and undercover of the upland grasslands. They are the largest of the Francolins found in North America with black foreheads and a black stripe above the eye that divides their gray cheeks from their chestnut crown. Their body and flanks are a gray brown color, streaked with dark brown feathers. Like all Francolins they are monogamous and the males will remain close to the nest and help tend to the young.

Photo Courtesy of Mirko Raner.