About Pternistis rufopictus Reichenow, 1887
The grey-breasted spurfowl, also known as the grey-breasted francolin, is a bird species classified under the family Phasianidae, with the scientific name Pternistis rufopictus. It is endemic exclusively to Tanzania. This species was first described by German ornithologist Anton Reichenow in 1887, who assigned it the currently accepted binomial name Pternistis rufopictus. Its specific epithet combines the Latin words rufus, meaning "red", and pictus, meaning "painted". A 2019 molecular phylogenetic study confirmed that the grey-breasted spurfowl is the sister species to the red-necked spurfowl. This species is considered monotypic, meaning no subspecies are formally recognized.
