Bird · GBIF taxon 2473341
Helmeted Guineafowl
Numida meleagrisAlso known as Common Guineafowl
Highly gregarious birds travel in noisy flocks across open savannas, walking several miles each day while scratching the soil for seeds, tubers, and insects. Rather than flying when startled, they rely on fleet-footed sprints through grass, bursting into explosive short flights only as a last escape resort. At dusk, entire flocks fly into the lower branches of thorny trees to roost communally out of reach from nocturnal predators.
TerrestrialFlockingVocal
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Ticks and terrestrial invertebrates
- Grass and weed seeds
- Underground bulbs and tubers
Predators
- Martial Eagle
- Leopard
- Black-backed Jackal
ThreatsLocal overhunting, intensive farming, and habitat fragmentation
HabitatsSavannas, semi-arid grasslands, agricultural fields, and open scrublands
Life span10–15 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderGalliformes
- FamilyNumididae
- GenusNumida
- SpeciesNumida meleagris
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Sound: Listen for their loud, metallic rattling calls that often announce approaching predators.
- Observing: Keep a respectful distance, as flocks scatter rapidly on foot if approached directly.
Predator (c) Dan Harville, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Dan Harville · cc-by-sa
Predator (c) Bernard DUPONT, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) danpatrick, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland / CC BY-SA 2.0 · cc-by-sa
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