Western Crested Guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi) | Photos and ID

LCLeast ConcernOmnivore

ForestScrapeLarge · 1.1 kg

Western Crested Guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi), photo 1 — Photo: (c) 116916927065934112165, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Western Crested Guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi), photo 2 — Photo: (c) Tommy Andriollo, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Western Crested Guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi), photo 3 — Photo: (c) Rafael Würtemberger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Western Crested Guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi), photo 4 — Photo: (c) B. Phalan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Western Crested Guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi), photo 5 — Photo: (c) Rafael Würtemberger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Western Crested Guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi), photo 6 — Photo: (c) Tommy Andriollo, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Western Crested Guineafowl (Guttera verreauxi), photo 7 — Photo: (c) Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

ID tip

The three species of crested guinea fowl have a total length of around 50 cm (20 in) and weigh 721–1,543 g (1.590–3.402 lb). The plumage is overall blackish with dense white spots. They have distinctive black crests on the top of their heads, the form of which varies from small curly feathers to down depending on the species, and which easily separates them from other species of guinea fowl, except the plumed guinea fowl. The names "crested" and "plumed" are often misapplied across the species.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Western Crested Guineafowl

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is July, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Western Crested Guineafowl

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 12 countries with regular records, and 4 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Uganda Ghana Kenya Côte d’Ivoire Congo - Kinshasa Central African Republic Sierra Leone Tanzania Zambia Cameroon Angola South Sudan

Recorded as a rare visitor in Benin, Congo - Brazzaville, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau.

About the Western Crested Guineafowl

The western crested guinea fowl is a species of guinea fowl native to sub-Saharan Africa. It can be found from Guinea-Bissau to Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia, and Angola, where it inhabits open forest, woodland and forest-savanna mosaics. It is one of three species that were formerly considered to be one and the same species, the crested guinea fowl.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Southern Crested GuineafowlGuttera edouardiThe three species of crested guinea fowl have a total length of around 50 cm (20 in) and weigh 721–1,543 g (1.590–3.402 lb).

Plumed GuineafowlGuttera plumiferaThe plumed guinea fowl is a member of the guinea fowl bird family.

Eastern Crested GuineafowlGuttera pucheraniThe three species of crested guinea fowl have a total length of around 50 cm (20 in) and weigh 721–1,543 g (1.590–3.402 lb).

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