Scientific Classification

Common Name

vulturine guineafowl

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Galliformes [pheasants, partridges, turkeys, quail, and guineafowl]

Family

Numididae

Genus Species

Acryllium (small peak) vultrinum (vulture-like)

Fast Facts

Description

These birds have a bright blue body with black and white streaks and small white dots on the back feathers. They have a "horny" helmet on top of their naked heads. The head region is bright with blue, red, and yellow. The eyes are red and the beak is short and black. There is a band of tiny brown feathers on the back of its head. The males and females look very similar and are difficult to distinguish.

Size

50.8 to 52.8 cm (20 to 24 in.) in length

Weight

1 to 1.6 kg (2.2 to 3.5 lbs.)

Diet

These birds will feed on seeds, roots, tubers, grubs, rodents, small reptiles and insects. They will occasionally feed on vegetation and fruits.

Incubation

28 days; the chicks are precocial and have gold and brown-striped down plumage

Clutch Size

3 to 18 eggs

Fledging Duration

10 weeks

Sexual Maturity

2 years

Life Span

15 years

Range

This species has an extremely large range and can be found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.

Habitat

Dry desert areas with tall grass, patches of scrub, thorn bushes, and a few trees. These birds seem to prefer high perches for nocturnal roosting.

Population

The total population is large and scientists believe there are at least 10,000 mature individuals. The population is stable and is not severely fragmented.

Status 

IUCN: Least Concern
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Not listed

Fun Facts

The vulturine guineafowl is often referred to as the "royal guineafowl" because it tends to have the most striking appearance.

They are named for their bald head and neck, which resembles a vulture.

These birds are both monomorphic and monochromatic. This means that both sexes have a very similar form and coloration. In other words, it can be difficult to distinguish the sexes.

Captive hens have produced up to 40 eggs in just one season (3 clutches).

The eggshells of this species are extremely thick and difficult to break. Chicks hatch by "breaking out" instead of chipping away at the shell.

These birds are excellent runners and rarely fly, with exception of reaching nocturnal roosting perches.

The chicks are well-developed when they hatch and can fly within a few days.

These birds roost high in trees at night. Their calls, when disturbed or excited, can be heard over long distances.

Nests may contain eggs from more than one hen and they may share incubation duties.

These birds can be quite aggressive towards one another and have been known to fatally injure their own kind if competition for food or prime roosting areas comes into question. Even the chicks have been known to attack one another.

Males tend to be very aggressive towards the hens most of the time. One effective way to distinguish the sexes is by observing each individual's body posture. The males tend to carry their heads high and attempt to look as big as possible. Females, on the other hand, tend to adopt a submissive posture.

Ecology and Conservation

These birds can survive long periods without water and tend to acquire the majority of their water requirements from the vegetation that they consume.

These birds may suffer locally from hunting pressure. They have numerous predators such as raptors, monkeys, and several small mammals which hunt the eggs and the chicks, and may even kill the adults.

Bibliography

Delacour, J. The Pheasants of the World. 2nd ed. World Pheasant Association and Spur Publications, Hindhead, U.K., 1977.

Gotch, A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained. Poole, Dorst: Blandford Press, 1981.

Perrins, Dr. Christopher M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds: The Definitive Reference to Birds of the World. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1990.

honoluluzoo.org/Palawan_Peacock_Pheasant.htm

zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/peacock/ppp.htm

Hayes, Leland B., Ph.D. How I Raise Vulturine Guineafowl
guineas.com/vulture/html

BirdLife International. 2016. Acryllium vulturinum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22679572A92819650. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679572A92819650.en. Downloaded on 09 January 2019.