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  4. Rockfowls

Species group · Birds

Rockfowls

WAnimals has 2 species of rockfowl, in the family Picathartidae.

2 species
1 family
10 countries
12 parks
Weight
200 g – 250 g
Length
33 cm – 41 cm
Lifespan
15 years

Ranges calculated from the profiles that record the figure, not from all 2.

All 2 species of rockfowls on WAnimals

Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

2 Vulnerable

2 species in this group are in a threatened category according to the IUCN.

Where they live

Recorded in 10 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…?

  • It depends literally on rock: it attaches its mud nest to the walls of caves and granite overhangs within the forest, and where there are no outcrops the species is absent, however good the woodland.

    From

  • It follows army ant columns to catch the invertebrates fleeing the swarm, a technique it shares with several African forest birds.

    From

  • It is one of only two species in its family, a lineage so isolated that for decades ornithologists did not know which group to place it with.

    From

  • Its bare yellow head with two black patches gives it so unusual a look that for decades ornithologists did not know which family to place it with: today it forms a family of its own with a single sister species.

    From

  • It follows army ant columns to catch the invertebrates fleeing the swarm, a hunting technique it shares with several African forest birds.

    From

Ecosystems

·

Grey-necked RockfowlVulnerable

Grey-necked Rockfowl

Picathartes oreas

4 countries7 parks
White-necked RockfowlVulnerable

White-necked Rockfowl

Picathartes gymnocephalus

6 countries5 parks
Cameroon1
Côte d’Ivoire1
Equatorial Guinea1
Gabon1
Ghana1
Guinea1
Guinea-Bissau1
Liberia1
Nigeria1
Sierra Leone1
Campo Ma'an1 species
Cross River1 species
Dja1 species
Gola Rainforest1 species
Ivindo1 species
Kakum1 species
Korup1 species
Lobéké1 species
Monte Alén National Park1 species
Outamba-Kilimi National Park1 species
Sapo National Park1 species
Taï1 species
Grey-necked Rockfowl
Grey-necked Rockfowl
Grey-necked Rockfowl
White-necked Rockfowl
White-necked Rockfowl
Mountain2
Rainforest2
See every species group
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