A medium-sized game bird found in Africa and Asia, resembling a partridge, with distinctive plumage and often a loud call.
From French francolin, possibly derived from the Frankish word for the bird or from an African language via French traders. The term emerged in European languages through colonial contact with African wildlife.
Francolins produce one of the loudest bird calls in Africa—their screaming cackles at dawn are so intense that safari guides use them to locate other animals, making them accidental wildlife broadcasters.
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