Guinea Fowl

Guinea fowl belong to the Numididae family of the Galliformes order of birds. Originally they are from Africa and are some of the oldest species amongst the gallinaceous birds. After the Cracidae (chachalacas, guans, and curassows) and before the Odontophoridae, they split off from the core Galliformes (New World quail). A descendant of Eocene fossils, Telecrex has been linked to guineafowl. Telecrex used to live in Mongolia and may have given rise to the earliest of the real phasianids, like the blood and eared pheasants, which further evolved into high-altitude, montane-adapted species around the time when the Tibetan Plateau rose. There is a lot of diversity in different types of guinea fowl. While modern guinea fowl species are singularly unique to Africa, the helmeted guinea fowl has been one of the most widely domesticated guinea fowls in other parts of the world.

Characteristics Of Guinea Fowl

Although both species of the genus Guttera have a unique black crest, and the vulturine guineafowl has a downy brown patch on the nape, the insect- and seed-eating, ground-nesting birds of this family resemble the partridges, but with heads having zero feathers. The majority of guinea fowl species have dark grey or blackish plumage with dense white dots, but both Agelastes species lack these spots. While numerous species are well-known, the plumed guineafowl and two members of the Agelastes genus are still relatively unknown. The average length of these birds is from 40 to 71 cm and their average weight is 700 gm to 1600 gm. Guinea hens weigh more than guinea cocks, probably due to the female guinea fowl's larger reproductive organs than the male guinea fowl. In addition, the existence of considerably larger egg clusters in dual-purpose guinea fowl chicks may be a factor contributing to the guinea hens' increased body weight.

The given image is Helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris):

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Except for the helmeted and Kenya crested guineafowl, which have been reported to be polygamous in captivity, the species for which information is available are generally monogamous, mating for life, or serially monogamous. Guinea Fowl are gregarious creatures who prefer to live in small groups or large flocks. Despite being monogamous, species that belong to the least derivative genera like Guttera, Agelastes, and Acryllium easily get involved in social polyandry, a characteristic that is shared with other primitive Galliformes such as the Roul roul and Congo peafowl.

Guinea Fowl follow herd animals and monkey troops into the understory, where they graze in excrement and on things that have fallen from the canopy to the understory. Ticks, flies, locusts, scorpions, and other invertebrates are all controlled by these insects. Maggots are plucked from carcasses and excrement.

Guinea birds in the wild are excellent flyers. Their breast muscles are black (indicating anaerobic metabolism), allowing them to fly for long periods of time if necessary. Grass and shrub fires are a continual threat to them, and the best way to escape is to flee. Some organisms of the guinea fowl species, like the vulturine, are capable of going for long periods of time without drinking any water. Instead, they rely on moisture for their food and dietary requirements. Young guinea fowl (also known as keets) are extremely sensitive to the weather, especially cold temperatures.

Guinea hens aren't known for being good mothers, but in the wild, the guinea hen's mate (a guinea cock) may assist in keeping the young guinea keets warm and obtaining food throughout the day. Occasionally, more than one cock will assist in the rearing of the young. Guineafowl (a combination of hens and cocks) make excellent parents. During warm weather, the cock is less likely to set on the keets at night (leaving that responsibility to the hen), but when temperatures dip below freezing, the cock may assist the hen in keeping the guinea keets warm.

When Guinea fowls are young, they can be taught to go into a coop instead of roosting in trees. They should be kept in a coop for at least 3 days once they have hatched and are ready to leave the brooder (about 3 weeks). When the parents of the guinea fowl who already roost in a coop, bring out their own keets by raising guinea fowl, the hen keeps them outside at night. After attaining three weeks of age the parents engage in the education of the keets to go into the coop as well. Each sex has a distinct call that can be used to distinguish females from males. Unlike chickens, which benefit from having one rooster per flock of hens, guinea fowl thrive with just one cock each hen.

Where Do the Guinea Fowl Live?

The plumed guineafowl in west-central Africa and the vulturine guineafowl in north-east Africa are two of the many guinea fowl species found across Sub-Saharan Africa, some with a large range and others with a smaller range, such as the plumed guinea fowls that are found in west-central Africa and the vulturine guinea fowls that are found in north-east Africa. Some, like the black guineafowl, like semi-open settings like savannas or semi-deserts, while others, like the black guineafowl, prefer woodlands. Some perch on the limbs of tall trees. The helmeted guinea fowl has been brought to East Africa, the West Indies, the United States, the United Kingdom, and India as a food or pet bird.

Guinea fowl meat has a gamey flavour and is drier and thinner than chicken flesh. It offers somewhat more protein than chicken or turkey, about half the fat, and slightly fewer calories per gramme than chicken. Their eggs are far more nutritious than chicken eggs.

Brief Descriptions Some Guinea Fowl Species

White-Breasted Guinea Fowl:

The white-breasted guineafowl (Agelastes meleagrides) or the white guinea fowl is a medium-sized guinea fowl that can grow up to 45 cm in length. It has a small, bare redhead, white breast, long, black tail, greenish-brown bill, and greyish feet with black plumage. The sexes are nearly identical, with the exception that the female is somewhat smaller than the male guinea fowl. The white guinea fowl can be found in the forests of Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in subtropical West Africa. Seeds, berries, termites, and tiny animals make up the majority of its food. The IUCN Red List classifies the white guinea fowl as vulnerable due to continued habitat degradation and poaching in some regions.

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Fig: White-breasted guinea fowl 

Black Guinea Fowl:

The black guinea fowl (Agelastes niger) is a species of guinea fowl that belongs to the guinea fowl family. It can be found in Central African wet woods. It's a black bird of medium size with a naked, pink head and upper neck. Its behaviour is largely unknown. A mature black guinea fowl's head and upper neck are unfeathered, displaying pink skin. The forehead and crown have a crest of short downy feathers, while the throat and lower neck have a scattering of downy feathers. The body and tail feathers are black, while the belly has some milder speckled markings. Females have either none or a single small spur on their legs, whilst males have one to three spurs. Juveniles have buff tips to their upper feathers, a speckled breast, and a white belly, but are otherwise similar to adults. The legs are brownish brown and the beak is greenish-grey. The male guinea fowls are significantly larger than females, measuring approximately 42 cm (17 in) in length and weighing about 700 g. (25 oz). The call is a repetitive high-pitched "kwee" that is repeated every two to three seconds. The alert is a shriller sound that is repeated more quickly.

The black guineafowl has received very little attention. It is a shy, elusive forest floor bird that is normally encountered in pairs or small groups. It prefers heavy undergrowth in primary and secondary growth woodland, but will occasionally venture onto neighbouring farmed lands. Invertebrates such as ants, termites, millipedes, and beetles, as well as small frogs, seeds, berries, and shoots, are among its favourite foods. This species' nesting habits are unknown, however, the eggs are pale reddish-brown with yellow or purple shading. It can breed throughout the dry season or at any time of the year.

South of the Sahara, the black guineafowl is native to West-Central Africa. Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among the countries included. Its range is estimated to be 764,000 km2 in size (295,000 sq mi). It can be found on the forest floor in primary and secondary tropical rainforests, particularly in areas with dense undergrowth, as well as nearby cultivated croplands. Because it is hunted for food, probably in an unsustainable manner, and may suffer from habitat loss, the black guineafowl's population trend appears to be decreasing. However, it is relatively common within its range, and the IUCN considers it to be of least concern in its Red List of Threatened Species, as the rate of decrease does not appear to warrant the bird being classified as more vulnerable.

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Fig: Black Guinea Fowl

Helmeted Guinea fowl:

The helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) is the most well-known member of the Numididae family of guinea fowl birds. Also, it is the only member that belongs to the genus Numida. It is native to Africa, primarily south of the Sahara, and has been widely domesticated in the West Indies, North America, Australia, and Europe as a domesticated species. The native wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) was mistaken for this species during the early days of the European colonisation of North America. The word Meleagris, which is Greek for guinea fowl, appears in both species' scientific names, however, it is the species name for the guinea fowl and the name of the genus and (in inflected form) the family for the turkey.

The helmeted guineafowl is a large bird with a round body and small head that measures 53 to 58 cm. They are 1.3 kilos in weight. The grey-black body plumage is strewn with white. This species, like other guinea fowl, has an unfeathered head. It has a dull yellow or reddish bony bump and exposed skin with red, blue, or black colours in this species with a lot of diversity like in the guinea fowl such as the lavender guinea fowl. The tail is also small and rounded, while the wings are short and rounded. The changes in appearance include largely a substantial diversity in shape, size, and colour of the casque and facial wattles, which are recommended as subspecies.

This is a sociable species that forms flocks of around 25 birds outside of the breeding season and roosts communally. Guinea fowls are especially well-suited for consuming large numbers of ticks at a time, which may otherwise cause the spread of Lyme disease. Since these birds are terrestrial in nature, when they are disturbed they prefer to run rather than fly. They have a short-lived explosive flight, like most gallinaceous birds, and rely on gliding to travel long distances. Helmeted guineafowl may move up to 10 kilometres in a single day. Their bodies are built for running, and they excel at retaining dynamic stability while speeding through rugged terrain. When disturbed, they make loud, obnoxious calls.

They eat a wide variety of animal and plant foods. During the non-breeding season, N. meleagris feeds on maize, tubers, and seeds, especially those of agricultural weeds, as well as crop spillage. Invertebrates, particularly arthropods like beetles, may account for more than 80% of their diet during the breeding season. Guinea Fowls have strong claws and scratch through loose dirt for food in the same way that domestic chickens do, though they rarely uproot growing plants. They don't have spurs, like the rest of the Numididae. In the wild, they can survive for up to 12 years.

Males frequently display aggression toward one another, engaging in aggressive combat that can leave other males bruised and maimed. They will try to appear more frightening by raising their wings from their sides and bristling their feathers over the length of their bodies, as well as charging at their opponent with a gaping beak. The nest is a well-hidden, usually unlined scrape, with a clutch of 6 to 12 eggs incubated by the female for 26 to 28 days. Larger nests with more eggs are thought to be the result of more than one hen utilising the nest; eggs are enormous, and an incubating bird could not reasonably cover much more than a regular clutch.

The domestic birds which are at least known for generating extraordinarily thick-shelled eggs which instead of leaving two huge parts and small chips where the keet has been removed, are reduced to pieces as the young birds (known as keets among bird-breeders) hatch. Domesticated guineafowl hens have been known to be bad moms, abandoning their nests on a regular basis. The cryptically coloured guinea keets have quick wing growth, allowing them to flutter onto low branches just a week after hatching.

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Fig: Helmeted Guinea fowl 

Helmeted guinea fowl breed only once a year. Summer is the most active breeding season, with testes weighing up to 1.6 gm, whereas no breeding occurs in the winter. During the breeding season, the blood testosterone level might reach 5.37 ng/ ml. They breed in savannas and farmland, which are warm, dry, and open habitats with scattered shrubs and trees. Guinea fowl flocks have thrived in the northern and southern suburbs of Cape Town in recent years, where they have adapted exceptionally well. Flocks of sheep amble leisurely down quieter suburban roads, foraging on grassy 'pavements' and in gardens where the fence is low enough for them to enter without feeling alienated from the rest of the flock. They frequently perch on the roofs of bungalows at night. While most homeowners like the local animals, they can be a nuisance when they hinder traffic and make a lot of noise early in the morning during mating season. Their success can be ascribed to their huge yet cautious flocks, which can defend themselves against cats but will not enter gardens with dogs and are visible enough on the calm roads they use to avoid being run over. Despite the fact that many juvenile guinea birds fall down drains (and are left behind by the flock), such losses are insufficient to keep their numbers in check. Homeless people occasionally catch and devour adult birds.

The Guinea Fowls are beautiful birds which were originally from Africa. These birds have distinct habitats from others and are one of the most distinctive birds which makes them easily recognisable. They are one of the oldest birds belonging to the group of landfowl birds making them not only distinct but also one of the oldest fowl birds in the world with their uniqueness also arising from the location to which they are restricted. Overall, Guinea fowls are one of the most interesting of the fowl birds.