Helmeted Guineafowl ( Numida meleagris, family: Numididae)
The Helmeted Guineafowl (Latin name Numida meleagris) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 203 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 82 also a picture of the Helmeted Guineafowl on page 81. The Helmeted Guineafowl belongs to the family of birds classified as Numididae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Helmeted Guineafowl is also known by these other names: Guineafowl, Crowned Guineafowl' Tufted Guineafowl, Grey-breasted Helmet Guineafowl.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Helmeted Guineafowl is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Helmeted Guineafowl in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Helmeted Guineafowl : see above distribution map.
The Helmeted Guineafowl.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Helmeted Guineafowl is a largish bird about the same size as a Pied Crow. The height of the Helmeted Guineafowl is about 58 cms and its weight is about 1380 gms
The male and female Helmeted Guineafowl have the same plumage and colours
- Head is blue.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is black.
- Back is black.
- Legs are brown.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Helmeted Guineafowl feeds on the ground and in foliage mainly
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Helmeted Guineafowl is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Numida meleagris will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Helmeted Guineafowl is to create the nest on the ground. The bird lays eggs which are brown in colour and number between 2 to 41
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Helmeted Guineafowl are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas
You will normally see the Helmeted Guineafowl in pairs.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Impangele
Zulu ... iMpangele
Afrikaans ...Gewone Tarentaal
German ... Helmperlhuhn
Portuguese ... Pintada da Guin
French ... Pintade de Numidie
Dutch ... Helmparelhoen
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 203
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za