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

Justification of Red List category
This species has a large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence under 20,000 km² combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (under 10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be over 10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (over 30% decline over ten years or three generations). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Population justification
The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be generally common to locally rare (del Hoyo et al. 1994, Fuller et al. 2000). The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of any evidence of declines or substantial threats.

Trend justification
The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of any evidence of declines or substantial threats.

The species inhabits montane and hilly grasslands and open woodland, often preferring rocky areas (del Hoyo et al. 1994, Madge and McGowan 2002, Dowsett et al. 2008). Occurs up to 2,450 m on the Nyika Plateau in Malawi (del Hoyo et al. 1994).

c. 33 cm. A medium-sized rufous-brown francolin with a buffy throat, buffy lores, supercilium and neck sides. Overall fairly poorly marked. Similar spp. Shelley's Francolin F. shelleyi has a white throat and is generally more heavily marked with blacker markings, for example around the throat and on the underparts.

Text account compilers
Rutherford, C.A.

Contributors
Dowsett-Lemaire, F.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Species factsheet: Whyte's Francolin Scleroptila whytei. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/whytes-francolin-scleroptila-whytei on 02/01/2025.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2025) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 02/01/2025.