Helmeted Guineafowl
Numida meleagris
The Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) is a common guineafowl found in 109 countries, weighing about 1.3 kg. The helmeted guinea fowl is the best known of the guinea fowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida.
About the Helmeted Guineafowl
The helmeted guinea fowl is the best known of the guinea fowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida. It is native to Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced, as a domesticated species, into the West Indies, North America, Colombia, Brazil, Australia and Europe.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The helmeted guinea fowl is a large, 53 to 58 cm (21 to 23 in) bird with a round body and small head. They weigh about 1.3 kg (2.9 lb). The body plumage is gray-black speckled with white. Like other guinea fowl, this species has an unfeathered head, which in this species is decorated with a dull yellow or reddish bony knob, and bare skin with red, blue, or black hues. The wings are short and rounded, and the tail is likewise short. Various subspecies are proposed, differences in appearance being mostly a large variation in shape, size, and colour of the casque and facial wattles.
What the Helmeted Guineafowl sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada, Spain, Taiwan, Germany, India, Chile, Argentina, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Panama, Czechia, France, Belgium, Belize, Israel, Greece, Burundi, St. Barthélemy, Trinidad & Tobago, Yemen, Serbia, Mali, São Tomé & Príncipe, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, Cambodia, China, Albania, Cyprus, Denmark.
When to see it
The Helmeted Guineafowl can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Watch the Helmeted Guineafowl on live cams
Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Helmeted Guineafowl?
- The helmeted guinea fowl is a large, 53 to 58 cm (21 to 23 in) bird with a round body and small head. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Helmeted Guineafowl?
- The Helmeted Guineafowl is a large sized bird weighing about 1.3 kg.
- Where can you see a Helmeted Guineafowl?
- The Helmeted Guineafowl occurs in 109 countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
- What does a Helmeted Guineafowl sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Helmeted Guineafowl on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Helmeted Guineafowl?
- The Helmeted Guineafowl is most easily confused with the Eastern Crested Guineafowl, the Vulturine Guineafowl and the White-breasted Guineafowl.
- Is the Helmeted Guineafowl endangered?
- The Helmeted Guineafowl is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Helmeted Guineafowl for real
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