The helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) 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.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across dry savannas, open woodland, thorn scrub, and cultivated farmlands. It favors mosaic landscapes with grass, shrubs, and scattered trees, often near reliable water. Avoids dense forests but uses edges, clearings, and bushy riverine zones. Frequently found around villages, ranchlands, and road verges, taking advantage of spilled grain and insect swarms.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 3000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 3/5
Helmeted guineafowl are renowned for their loud alarm calls and are often kept around farms to alert to predators and to control ticks and other pests. They roost communally in trees at night and prefer to run rather than fly, flushing in short, explosive bursts when threatened. Widely introduced beyond Africa, they adapt well to agricultural landscapes. Their tough, speckled plumage provides excellent camouflage in scrub and savanna.
Eggs of Numida meleagris
Keet
The likely extinct subspecies N. m. sabyi of Morocco
A covey of the nominate race in Uganda
A Helmeted guinea fowl with three chicks in Swakopmund, Namibia
Head of an adult in South Africa
Race N. m. galeatus, here seen wild in Niger, is popularly kept as free-ranging poultry.
Temperament
social and alert
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with explosive flush; prefers running
Social Behavior
Forms flocks (coveys) outside the breeding season, often 10–20 birds or more. Typically monogamous in breeding season; nests are shallow scrapes on the ground concealed in grass or scrub. Roosts communally in trees at night and uses dust-bathing for feather maintenance.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocal repertoire is loud and rasping, dominated by repetitive cackles and 'kek-kek-kek' alarm calls. Calls are given frequently when startled or as contact notes within the flock.
