 The Djibouti francolin was originally collected on February 22, 1952 by Captain Albospeyre, the military commander of Tadjoura in the Forêt du Day. It was then described by French ornithologists Jean Dorst and Christian Jouanin later that year as Francolinus ochropectus in L 'Oiseau et la Revue française d'Ornithologie. Its specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek ochros, which means "ochre", and the Latin pectus, meaning "breast". Other authors have since proposed moving the species to other genera, including Oreocolinus and Pternistis, the latter a move proposed in a recent attempt to reorganize Francolinus, and one which would include 23 other francolins. Though some still maintain all these in Francolinus, the split into multiple genera is becoming more widespread.
