THE helmeted guinea fowl is widely spread throughout Southern Africa as far as Senegal and South West Arabia.
Found chiefly in thorny scrub and savanna veld, it is particularly populated along rivers and around vleis.
It wanders a great deal during the non-breeding season.
The birds weigh about 1.3kg and are great runners. When attacked, they scatter and hide, taking refuge in large trees. They also use the trees to roost as a flock, often numbering several hundred.
Their food is very varied and may include seeds, bulbs, insects of all sorts, snails, ticks, and flowers.
The helmeted guinea fowl’s voice is an alarm call, a stuttering monotonous ‘kek, kek’ which becomes more grated prior to roosting.
The nest is a scrape under a bush or hedge. The six to eight eggs which are laid at one time are yellowish and smooth but very hard. The shape is flattened at the thick end and pointed at the thin end. Most eggs are laid during the summer rainy season, from October to March.
The incubation period is about 26 to 28 days and chicks are called keets.
The bird’s Zulu name is Impangele.
