Guinea fowl

Share Top Five January 29, 2019

Guineafowl are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds. Phylogenetically, they branch off from the core Galliformes after the Cracidae and before the Odontophoridae. An Eocene fossil lineage, Telecrex, has been associated with guineafowl. Telecrex inhabited Mongolia, and may have given rise to the oldest of the true Phasianids such as Ithaginis and Crossoptilon, which evolved into high-altitude montane-adapted species with the rise of the Tibetan Plateau. While modern guineafowl species are endemic to Africa, the helmeted guineafowl has been introduced widely elsewhere,More info:wiki

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#10 Helmeted guineafowl,More info:wikipedia

#9 Guinea Fowl, Vulturine,More info:safariwest

The vulturine is the largest guineafowl, with a noticeably long neck. The bare skin on the head and neck is a bluish-grey color. There is a reddish brown down on the back of the head and nape of the neck. Chest feathers are a bright blue color; the back is dark grey with white spots. Males and females look similar, though females are a little smaller. They have one or more “spurs” on the tarsus, the part of the leg below the backwards facing “knee” and the “ankle”. Juveniles are less brightly colored than adults.

#8 Take the Guesswork Out of Starting Your Flock,More info:countrysidenetwork

#7 Helmeted guineafowl,More info:nzbirdsonline

This distinctive African gamebird was first introduced to New Zealand in the 1860s; none of these early releases was successful. The scattered groups of birds found today probably all originated from birds that have wandered off from farmyards. The species has been domesticated for thousands of years, and probably all birds released locally come from domestic stock.

The helmeted guineafowl is a plump chicken-sized bird with a characteristic humped-back appearance. The slate grey plumage is speckled with numerous white spots, the neck is short and featherless, and the small bare head bears a scimitar-shaped bony casque. Skin on the lower face and upper neck is sky blue with red-tipped wattles and a darker blue throat flap. The cere, forehead and crown are red, the bill and casque are horn-coloured, and the iris brown. The lower neck is covered with brownish-grey down-like feathers that extend halfway up the back of the upper neck. Lower down these merge into normal slate-grey body feathers, each of which has a dozen or more uniformly spaced white spots, creating an overall speckled appearance. The flight feathers are similarly patterned, although the dots on the outer webs merge to form fine white stripes that align when the wing is closed, creating a barred appearance. Birds from domestic stock often have whitish facial skin, occasional white flight feathers, and irregular patches of white on the flanks and belly. The legs are dark grey in wild-type birds, and orange-brown in domestic birds; leg spurs absent. Females have shorter and narrower casques and smaller wattles, but are best distinguished by their distinctive, sex-specific call (see below). Young birds are similar to adults but have paler facial skin and less obvious white spots. Chicks are brownish-grey, with black fringes to the body and emerging flight feathers. Their head feathers are brown with longitudinal black stripes.

#6 What Is a Guinea Hen?,More info:dartagnan

The guinea hen, or guinea fowl, is a small and hardy bird that’s a relative of the chicken and partridge, but has darker meat than either. Guinea hen is the beginner’s game bird – but it’s not at all gamey tasting. The flavor is often compared to pheasant, or described as extra-tasty chicken. The lean meat stands up nicely to strong herbs and spices, and guinea hen can be fried like chicken, braised with herbs and root vegetables, or roasted with butter or duck fat. Read on and learn more about your new favorite bird.

Although guinea hen comes from West Africa, this flavorful bird found its way to France via Portugal in the 16th century. Called pintade in France, its ubiquity on the table has earned it the nickname “Sunday bird.”

In English, the bird’s name has always been more confusing, since the terms “guinea fowl” and “guinea hen” are used interchangeably, and refer to either female or male birds of the species. Guinea hens are similar in size to chickens and pheasants, but are easily recognizable by the distinct white dotted pattern of their pearly gray plumage, as well as their bald, vulture-like head.

#5 NUMIDA MELEAGRIS | HELMETED GUINEAFOWL (DOMESTIC TYPE),More info:hawaiibirdingtrails.hawaii

The helmeted guineafowl is a native to Africa, but has been domesticated and travelled the word for their delicious meat. In Hawaiʻi, they were released, and now make a home for themselves in open urban fields near ponds and wetlands. A plump bird, they have a large body and small head, about 22 inches in length. Their body feathers are gray-black with white speckles, but their head in naked, showing off pink and blue skin.

#4 Raising Guinea Fowl,More info:hgtv

Native to Africa, but now found around the world, the guinea fowl is an odd duck. Or is it a chicken? Turkey? Although this game bird with a featherless head, bright red wattle and polka-dot plumage belongs to the same order as those other domestic fowl, it has more in common with pheasants or partridges. A tendency to roam and unwillingness to be tamed have kept these exotic birds from widespread domestication. They can be noisy, cantankerous and experts at hiding their eggs. So why is their popularity growing as a backyard bird?

These ranging fowl are very good at one thing: foraging. Although supplemental feed or scratch is recommended, they fend for themselves quite well feeding from the fields. Devouring pests such as wasps, lice, snails, ants, grubs and expertly keeping tick populations down, guinea fowl are a friend of the farmer or backyard gardener. Requiring little maintenance, they patrol the yard and keep bugs at bay without the need for pesticides.

#3 Vulturine Guineafowl,More info:mpalalive

#2 The Joys Of Keeping Guinea Fowl,More info:pets4homes

They may not be the prettiest creatures on the planet, but Guinea Fowl have to be one of the most amusing and noisy species of birds to own. Their eggs are delicious too! The great thing about these birds is they can be kept on their own or alongside other poultry like chickens, ducks, turkeys as well as geese and they do very well, but you may have to introduce them gradually to avoid any conflicts.

Geese make great guard dogs – but so do Guinea Fowl! They are extremely quick to let you know when strangers and other animals are on your property or in the vicinity. This means they are great “fox” alarms too which is priceless if you have a problem with foxes roaming your area during the daylight hours. Guinea Fowl can make quite a racket at the best of times, so when they are unhappy about something, the whole world knows about it.

#1 Guinea Fowl with Blue Heads and Spotted Bodies in their Natural African Bushveld Habitat on Dry Ground inside Kruger National Park,More info:videoblocks

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