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Species authority page

Erckel's spurfowl

Pternistis erckelii · Upland game birds

Erckel's spurfowl (Pternistis erckelii): About 16 in (40 cm), brown with white streaky spots. Chestnut feathers on top of the head and a white throat. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the erckel's spurfowl map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Pternistis erckelii
Family
Phasianidae
In North America
Introduced
Range
Native to Ethiopia and Sudan; introduced to Hawaii in 1957. NatureServe records it in Hawaii.
Biology

How to identify it

About 16 in (40 cm), brown with white streaky spots. [1][2][3][4]

Chestnut feathers on top of the head and a white throat. [1][2][3][4]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Upland dry grasslands (Hawaii). [1][2][3][4]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Scares easily and hides, preferring to run rather than flush [1][2][3][4]

Loud laughing cackle, especially in the morning [1][2][3][4]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Native to Ethiopia and Sudan; introduced to Hawaii in 1957. NatureServe records it in Hawaii.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. State of Hawaii, Hawaii Birding Trails · reviewed 2026-09-30

    State of Hawaii, Hawaii Birding Trails

  2. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  3. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources

  4. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology