francolin

Is it time for another bird week? If you have to ask, the answer is "yes"! More birds with cool or fun-to-say names:


francolin (FRANG-kuh-lin) - n., any of numerous sharp-spurred African and Eurasian partridges of the genus Francolinus.


Or so formerly, and still so listed in many dictionaries: ornithologists are apparently now redistributing them across genera Francolinus (Asian species), Peliperdix, Scleroptila, and Pternistis (African ones). The name first appears in English in 1594, adopted from French, from Italian francolino, original entirely a mystery. Here's a painted francolin (Francolinus pictus, still) from central India:


Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.