One of the 2 rockfowls on WAnimals
Birds · Passeriformes · Picathartidae
Grey-necked Rockfowl
Picathartes oreas
It faces a high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term. See full glossary
The grey-necked rockfowl is the eastern counterpart of the white-necked rockfowl, with a bare head of intense blue framed by two large black patches and a grey neck. It lives in the forests of Cameroon, Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, always associated with rock outcrops where it attaches mud nests to the walls of caves and overhangs. It is one of only two species in its family.
Weight
200 g – 250 g
Size
33 cm – 38 cm
Lifespan
15 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Crepuscular
Active above all at dawn and dusk.
Social structure
Colony
Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Fun facts
- 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.
- It follows army ant columns to catch the invertebrates fleeing the swarm, a technique it shares with several African forest birds.
- 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.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Rainforest with rock outcrops and caves in the Gulf of Guinea
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 24 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 2 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picathartes_oreas
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Grey-necked Rockfowl — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Yellow-casqued Hornbill
Ceratogymna elata
EndangeredGrey Parrot
Psittacus erithacus
VulnerableMandrill
Mandrillus sphinx
Narina Trogon
Apaloderma narina
African Golden Cat
Caracal aurata
Crowned Eagle
Stephanoaetus coronatus
How to help
The grey-necked rockfowl is classified as vulnerable. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 4 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about grey-necked rockfowl.
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