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A helmeted guineafowl with white-spotted gray feathers and a blue head walking on grass.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagris

A spotted African ground bird with a bony helmet on its head that eats insects and ticks and would rather run than fly.

🐓 Ground Birds
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About the Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted guineafowl live across most of sub-Saharan Africa in grasslands, savannas, farmland and scrub. Their dark gray feathers are covered with white speckles, their bare heads are blue, and both males and females have a bony casque, or helmet, on top. They eat snails, beetles, insect larvae, ticks and seeds. Guineafowl usually run from danger, flying only as a last resort, and they roost in trees at night.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Numida meleagris[1]
Weight
1.1 to 1.8 kg (2.5 to 4 pounds).[1]
Lifespan
10 to 20 years in the wild.[1]
Diet
Omnivore. Snails, beetles, insect larvae, ticks and other invertebrates, plus seeds.[1]
Habitat
Grasslands, savannas, farmland and scrubland.[1]
Where it lives
Most of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Eritrea to South Africa.[1]
Group life
Flocks from a single pair up to 100 birds. Roosts in trees at night.[1]
Babies
6 to 15 eggs, incubated for up to 30 days. Chicks fledge in about four weeks.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).[2]

Fun facts

  • Each guineafowl feather can have a dozen or more white speckles.[1]
  • Farmers sometimes keep guineafowl to eat ticks and insects.[1]
  • Guineafowl usually run from danger and fly only as a last resort.[1]
  • There are nine subspecies of helmeted guineafowl in Africa.[1]

Vocabulary

casque
A bony, helmet-like growth on top of a bird's head.
roost
To rest or sleep perched up high, such as on a tree branch.
pecking order
A ranking in a group that decides who gets food or space first.
tick
A tiny eight-legged animal that drinks blood and can spread disease.
larva
The young, worm-like stage of an insect (plural: larvae).

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. “Numida meleagris (helmeted guineafowl).” https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Numida_meleagris/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Numida meleagris (Helmeted Guineafowl).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22679555/132052202 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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