Overview
The vulturine guineafowl is a large bird with a round body and small head. It has a longer wings, neck, legs and tail than other guineafowl. The adult has a bare blue face and black neck, and although all other guineafowl have unfeathered heads, this species looks particularly like a vulture because of the long bare neck and head. The slim neck projects from a cape of long, glossy, blue and white hackles. The breast is cobalt blue, and the rest of the body plumage is black, finely spangled with white. The wings are short and rounded, and the tail is longer than others in the family Numididae. The sexes are similar, although the female is usually slightly smaller than the male and with smaller tarsal spurs. Young birds are mainly grey-brown, with a duller blue breast and short hackles.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Bird
- Family
- Numididae
- Genus
- Acryllium
- Species
- vulturinum
Habitat
It breeds in dry and open habitats with scattered bushes and trees, such as savannah or grassland.
Diet
Eats seeds and small invertebrates.
Behavior
The vulturine guineafowl is a gregarious species, forming flocks outside the breeding season typically of about 25 birds. This guineafowl is terrestrial, and will run rather than fly when alarmed. Despite the open habitat, it tends to keep to cover, and roosts in trees. It makes loud chink-chink-chink-chink-chink calls. It usually lays 4-8 cream-coloured eggs in a well-hidden grass-lined scrape.
Hunting
Hunted across its range.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.