Native to India, the black francolin was introduced to Hawaiʻi in 1959 as a gamebird. A little over a foot long, the male stands out with black feathers with white spots and white cheeks with a chestnut collar, while the female is brown with a rusty neck. Often in dry grasslands, they scare easily and hide from view and prefer running away rather than flushing.

The map below shows hotspots along our birding trails where you might see this bird.