• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note
Pternistis swierstrai (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously placed in the genus Francolinus.

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	C2a(i)

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2023	Vulnerable	C2a(i)
2016	Endangered	B2ab(i,ii,iii,v);C2a(i)
2012	Endangered	B2ab(i,ii,iii,v);C2a(i)
2010	Endangered	B2a+b(i,ii,iii,v); C2a(i)
2008	Vulnerable	B1a+b(i,ii,iii,v); C2a(i)
2004	Vulnerable
2000	Vulnerable
1996	Vulnerable
1994	Vulnerable
1988	Threatened

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	high
Land-mass type	continent	Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	23,400 km2	medium
Number of locations	4-5	-
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	1000-2499 mature individuals	poor	estimated	2009
Population trend	decreasing	poor	inferred	-
Generation length	5.18 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	2-100	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	1-89%	-	-	-

Population justification: No records of this species exist between 1971 and 2005, when c. 10 individuals were recorded (seven birds were seen and another pair or group were heard) at Mts Moco and Soque (Mills et al. 2013). Surveys between 2005 and 2009 estimated that c. 75 pairs occur on Mt Moco (Mills et al. 2011). In 2010, a significant but unquantified population of individuals was discovered in the Namba Mountains, where the species was found to be fairly common, and which likely holds the largest population of this species (Mills et al. 2013). Individuals have also been recently recorded in Tundavala (eBird 2023), but it is not possible to quantify the population there based only on this information.
Overall, the global population has been estimated at between 462-1,050 pairs and 1,040-2,080 pairs, depending on the amount of forest cover left in Angola (M. Mills in litt. 2010, Mills et al. 2011). The latter is likely an over-estimate unless the species is tolerant of a wider range of habitats than is currently known, hence the global population is currently best placed in the band 1,000-2,499 mature individuals (M. Mills in litt. 2010). Further fieldwork is needed to improve the accuracy of the population size, but considering the small extent of suitable habitat present within the species' range and elevation limits (2,000-2,500 m), the species' population size is unlikely to be large.

Trend justification: The species is considered to be highly dependent on Afromontane forest edge habitat, specifically on forest edge undergrowth, and is only found in areas which contain, or are adjacent to Afromontane forest, and is therefore directly linked to its existence. The exception to this is on Mount Soque, where Afromontane forest has been completely lost; this area contained a remnant population of four pairs in 2005, using vegetation similar to that found in forest edge (e.g., dense scrub). This subpopulation is therefore likely to be non-functional and an extinction debt generated from the clearance of the forest.
Due to land use change for grazing and agriculture and forest fires, which may be exacerbated in the future by climate change, Afromontane forest, within the physically restricted elevation limits of the species (which is confined to the highland plateaux or 'sky islands'), is estimated to be undergoing a decline of approximately 11% over the species' past three generations (16 years), 19% between 2022 and 2037, and 15% over the next three generations (Powell et al. 2023, Global Forest Watch 2023, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). Although it could be argued that forest loss would equate to higher areas of forest edge habitat, as most forest loss is artificial, it is considered unlikely that the edge undergrowth specific to this species' habitat would be able to establish and mature enough, and over a sufficient amount of time on average for the species to disperse and reproduce sufficiently to contribute to a stabilisation or increase in the population size before this habitat is yet again destroyed, either at the same place or somewhere else.
Considering the species' dependence on Afromontane forest edge habitat, the absence of a functional population where this habitat has been removed, and the continuing loss of this habitat through land conversion and fires, it can be inferred that the species is undergoing a continuing decline in population size, which may also be exacerbated by some hunting pressure (Dean 2001; M. Mills in litt. 2005, 2010). Due to the uncertainty of the severity of the impact on the species caused by the loss of its habitat, and the potential for additional impact from hunting pressure, the rate of this decline has not been quantified.  

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
Angola	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
Angola	Mount Moco

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Forest	Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane	major	resident
Grassland	Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude	suitable	resident
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)		suitable	resident
Shrubland	Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude	major	resident
Altitude	2000 - 2500 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Negligible declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Species mortality
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest]	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Climate change & severe weather	Habitat shifting & alteration	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Whole (>90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 7
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression - Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation

Purpose	Scale
Food - human	subsistence, national

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Swierstra's Spurfowl Pternistis swierstrai. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/swierstras-spurfowl-pternistis-swierstrai on 26/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 26/11/2024.