Habitat constraints limit the distribution and population density of redwing francolin, Francolinus levaillantii, in the highland grasslands of Mpumalanga province, South Africa

We investigated a variety of habitat characteristics along a land-use gradi ent in an attempt to determine which factors may have influenced the popula tion decline of redwing francolin, Francolinus Ievaillantii, in commercial pasture farms in the highland grasslands of Mpumalanga province, South Afri ca. Within three microhabitats (wetlands, rocky outcrops and grassland), nu mber and diversity of food plants, height of the sward and percentage cover were significantly lower in habitat exposed to commercial grazing with she ep. Increased cover and height of the sward were positively correlated with higher diversity and availability of francolin food plants. Crop analyses revealed a lower intake in the number of food plant species, but higher inc idence of invertebrates, ingested by birds collected in heavily grazed and frequently burned grasslands. Intestinal caecae were significantly (P < 0.0 01) longer in birds collected from grazed/burned grasslands-possibly associ ated with a low quality, more fibrous diet. Both the quantity and quality o f habitat in terms of food abundance, diversity and cover are important fac tors influencing the distribution of redwing francolin in these grasslands.