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Birds of Wildcliff Nature Reserve
Dedicated to
plant and wildlife conservation in South Africa's Cape Floral Kingdom
Helmeted
Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
 Description. Well
known gregarious, resident, large guineafowl. Overall body plumage is
blue-grey with white spots. Head is generally naked with red and blue
skin, cheek wattles and casque atop the crown of head. Much
geographic variation to appearance of head and particularly the casque.
Male’s casque is larger than female’s, juvenile has browner plumage.
White spots on body may not always be apparent.
Song/Call. A rather
loud ‘kek-kek-kek-kaaaaa-ka-ka-ka-ka-kaaaaa.’ Metallic sounding
‘cheenk-cheenk’ contact calls as flock forages through dense
vegetation. Also a monotonous, repetitious ‘krdii-krdii.’
Habitat. Woodlands,
savanna, grassland, agricultural land, virtually any open country with
the exception of true desert.
Behavior. Highly
gregarious. Flock size varies with quality of habitat. Flock roosts on
adjacent trees; at first light descends to ground to
forage; then moving away to drinking hole often single file with males
leading the way. Much of early morning and late afternoon spent
foraging and dust bathing, while resting during the hottest part of the
day. Flock size may remain stable over the years with a dominance
hierarchy evident in males but not females.
Diet. Omnivorous,
with a predilection for invertebrates when available; termites and
grasshoppers are a favorite.
Reproduction.
Monogamous. Male courtship-feeds female, pair usually does not
defend a territory, however will not range as far as non-breeding
flocks. Female chooses nest site which is a simple scrape in the
ground lined with grass stems and feathers. Nest situated at base
of shrub or tussock of grass, or otherwise dense cover. A full
clutch of 6-12 eggs is laid from Sept-Dec in the Cape Provinces.
Incubation is by female and lasts for 24-27 days, chicks are born
semi-precocial. Both adults will aggressively defend young.
Predators. Not much
is known about what may prey on adult guineafowl. Many animals
will prey on eggs and young (especially nestlings); monkeys, genets,
domestic cats, mongoose, many species of rodent.
On Wildcliff. Seen
in fields on and around Wildcliff.
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Links & References
- Wildcliff
Bird
List
- Birding
Resources Page
- T.M. Crowe, S. Keith,
L.H. Brown. Numida meleagris. In: Fry, C.H., Keith S. and Urban K.,
eds. The Birds of Africa. Vol.
2. London: Academic Press, 2000. 8-11.
- Sinclair, Ian, and
Peter Ryan. Birds of Africa
South of the Sahara. Princeton: NJ: Princeton University Press,
2003.
- Sinclair, Ian, Phil
Hockey and Warwick Tarboton. Birds
of Southern Africa. 3rd ed. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002.
Thanks to Conan Guard
for this page.
Based on sightings in
the immediate area, as many as 160
bird species may be seen at Wildcliff. If
you are interested in conducting an ornithological survey or study at
Wildcliff, please complete the Application Form on the research page.
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