Salvadori's Pheasant vs Ahanta Spurfowl
Lophura inornata compared with Pternistis ahantensis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Salvadori's Pheasant | Ahanta Spurfowl |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Lophura inornata | Pternistis ahantensis |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Phasianidae | Phasianidae |
| Conservation Status | Near Threatened | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 41.9 cm (16.5 in) | 34.6 cm (13.6 in) |
| Weight | 685.0 g (24.16 oz) | 547.5 g (19.31 oz) |
| Diet | Ground forager; takes seeds, fruits, invertebrates, and small animals in Sumatran montane forests. | Feeds on seeds, invertebrates, and plant matter in West African lowland forest and thicket. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 3-12 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Salvadori's Pheasant
Infrequently recorded 'kak-kak' alarm calls; Sumatran montane endemic. Vocally poorly known. Contact between birds presumably low guttural clucks. Flushed birds produce loud wing clatter.
Ahanta Spurfowl
Loud, staccato 'krak-krak-KRAAK' from W African forest edge; slightly higher than larger spurfowl. Alarm is rapid explosive cackling. Pairs call in loose synchrony at dawn in secondary growth.
Geographic Range & Migration
Salvadori's Pheasant
Endemic to Sumatra; resident of primary and secondary montane forest between 600 and 2,100 m elevation.
Ahanta Spurfowl
Resident of dense lowland and coastal forest in West Africa from Ghana to Cameroon; also found in Bioko Island.
Conservation Status
Salvadori's Pheasant
Ahanta Spurfowl
How to Tell Them Apart
Salvadori's Pheasant
Male uniformly dark olive-brown with slight greenish gloss; blue orbital skin; no crest; unadorned appearance relative to other Lophura. Female slightly paler rufous-brown; both sexes lack vivid markings.
Ahanta Spurfowl
Dark brown above with pale buff shaft streaks; whitish below with dark brown streaking; red bill; red orbital skin; yellow legs. Sexes similar; closely resembles Double-spurred Spurfowl; West African forests.
About These Birds
Salvadori's Pheasant
A medium-sized Phasianidae pheasant (~685 g) restricted to montane forests of Sumatra above 1,000 m. Both sexes are sombre dark brown, the male with a finely laced pale pattern. Little studied; forages on seeds and invertebrates on forest floor. Near Threatened from montane forest loss in Sumatra.
Ahanta Spurfowl
A medium Phasianidae spurfowl (~548 g) of lowland and secondary forest edges in West Africa from Ivory Coast to Nigeria. Dark brown streaked white; red orbital skin. Forages on the ground in pairs or small groups for seeds, berries, and invertebrates. Tolerates forest fragments; Least Concern.