Guineafowl (/ˈɡɪnifaʊl/) (or guineahen) are birds of the familyNumididae in the orderGalliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds.Phylogenetically, they branched off from the core Galliformes after theCracidae (chachalacas, guans, and curassows) and before the Odontophoridae (New World quail). AnEocenefossil lineageTelecrex has been associated with guineafowl;Telecrex inhabitedMongolia, and may have given rise to the oldest of the truephasianids, such asblood pheasants andeared pheasants, whichevolved into high-altitude, montane-adapted species with the rise of theTibetan Plateau. While modern guineafowl species are endemic to Africa, thehelmeted guineafowl has beenintroduced as a domesticated bird widely elsewhere.[1]
Feather of a guineafowlA flock of guineafowl free-roaming on a ranch in Texas (U.S.)
The insect- and seed-eating, ground-nesting birds of this family resemblepartridges, but with featherless heads, though both members of the genusGuttera have a distinctive blackcrest, and the vulturine guineafowl has a downy brown patch on the nape. Most species of guineafowl have a dark grey or blackishplumage[3] with dense white spots, but both members of the genusAgelastes lack the spots. While several species are relatively well known, the plumed guineafowl and the two members of the genusAgelastes remain relatively poorly known. These large birds measure 40–71 cm (15+1⁄2–28 in) in length, and weigh 700–1,600 g (1 lb 9 oz – 3 lb 8 oz). Guinea hens weigh more than guinea cocks, possibly because of the larger reproductive organs in the female compared to the male guineafowl. Also, the presence of relatively larger egg clusters in the dual-purpose guinea hens may be a factor that contributes to the higher body weight of the guinea hens.[citation needed]
The species for which information is known are normallymonogamous, mating for life, or areserially monogamous; however, occasional exceptions have been recorded for helmeted and Kenya crested guineafowl, which have been reported to bepolygamous in captivity.[4] All guineafowl are social, and typically live in small groups or large flocks. Though they are monogamous, species of the least-derived generaGuttera,Agelastes, andAcryllium tend toward socialpolyandry, a trait shared with other primitive galliforms such asroul roul, andCongo peafowl.
Guineafowl travel behind herd animals and beneath monkey troops, where they forage within manure and on items that have fallen to theunderstory from thecanopy. They play a pivotal role in the control ofticks,flies,locusts,scorpions, and otherinvertebrates. They pluckmaggots from carcasses and manure.
Wild guineafowl are strong flyers. Their breast muscles are dark (aerobic metabolism), enabling them to sustain themselves in flight for considerable distances if hard-pressed. Grass and bush fires are a constant threat to them and flight is the most effective escape.
Some species of guineafowl, like the vulturine, may go without drinking water for extended periods, instead sourcing their moisture from their food. Young guineafowl (called keets) are very sensitive to weather, in particular cold temperatures.
Guinea hens are not known to be good mothers,[5] but in the wild, the guinea hen's mate (a guinea cock) may help tend the young keets during the day by keeping them warm and finding food. Sometimes, more than one cock helps raise the young. Guineafowl (hens and cocks together) make good parents. During warm weather, the cock is unlikely to sit on the keets during the night (leaving that duty to the hen), but may help the hen keep them warm at night when temperatures drop below freezing.
Guineafowl may be trained to go into a coop (instead of roosting in trees) when very young. Once hatched and ready to leave the brooder (around three weeks), they may be enclosed in a coop for at least three days so they learn where "home" is. When guinea parents (that already roost in a coop) raise their own keets, the hen sits on them outdoors at night, but then the parents teach the keets to also go into the coop in the evenings around three weeks of age.
Males and females have different calls, which can be used to differentiate between them.[6] Unlike chickens (which generally do best with one rooster for a flock of hens[7]), guineafowl do well with one cock for each hen.
Guineafowl have been shown to act as a deterrent to foxes.[8]Due to the spread ofLyme disease from ticks, guineafowl are often kept because they will eat the ticks.[9]
Guineafowl species are found acrosssub-Saharan Africa, some almost in the entire range, others more localized, such as theplumed guineafowl in west-central Africa and thevulturine guineafowl in north-east Africa. They live in semiopen habitats such assavanna orsemideserts, while some, such as theblack guineafowl, mainly inhabit forests. Some perch high on treetops.
The helmeted guineafowl has been introduced in East Africa, South America, theWest Indies, the United States, Britain, and India, where it is raised as food or pets.[1]
Guineafowl meat is moist, firmer and leaner thanchicken meat and has a slight gamey flavour. It has marginally more protein than chicken orturkey, roughly half the fat of chicken and slightly lessfood energy per gram.[10] Their eggs are substantially richer than those of chickens.[11]
Madge and McGowan,Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse.ISBN0-7136-3966-0
Martínez, I. (1994). "Family Numididae (Guineafowl)", p. 554–570 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds.Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 2. New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Lynx Edicions,Barcelona.ISBN84-87334-15-6
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