Birds › African savanna › Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagris

Flocks walk many kilometers a day and roost together in trees at night. Their loud alarm calls warn other animals of danger.

Where to see it for real: Common in savanna and farmland; farmers keep tame ones to eat ticks.

Spot it in the game

Lives in the African savanna habitat (Southern and East Africa, at sunset).

Helmeted Guineafowl facts

Family

Guineafowl

Length

22 in (55 cm)

Wingspan

39 in (100 cm)

Weight

2.9 lb (1.3 kg)

Diet

Seeds, roots, ticks, termites and other insects.

Range

Sub-Saharan Africa; introduced in many other places.

Nest

A scrape on the ground hidden in tall grass.

Song

A loud, harsh, cackling "kek-kek-kek".

Active

at dawn, by day and at dusk

Status

Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: widespread and not at risk.

What the Helmeted Guineafowl sounds like

How to attract the Helmeted Guineafowl

Feeder foods, favorite first: millet, sunflower seed. Feeders that hold them: tube feeder and platform feeder. Keep a bird bath full, too.

In the game: fill a feeder with millet and sunflower seed and keep the bird bath full. It is a common visitor.

More: bird songs and calls, what to feed birds.

More birds of the African savanna

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