---
title: "What the sources say about the Helmeted Guineafowl | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "44 claims from the Helmeted Guineafowl profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Helmeted Guineafowl (*Numida meleagris*)

> 44 claims from the Helmeted Guineafowl profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Helmeted Guineafowl](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/helmeted-guineafowl/)

## Numida meleagris. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Numida_meleagris/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A speckled ground bird with a bony helmet | Helmeted guinea fowl are ground birds (note: tagline; speckles and helmet quoted in the next two claims) |
| The body feathers are black to dark grey with white speckles | The body, wings and thighs are covered in black to dark grey feathers with uniformed speckles of white. |
| one feather can carry a dozen or more of them | Each feather can have up to a dozen or more speckles on them. |
| Males and females both have a bony "helmet" on the crown of the head, called a casque | They have a boney "helmet", known as a casque. The casque lies on top of the crown of the birds and both males and females have them. |
| Male casques are usually larger. | Male casques are usually larger than the casques of females. |
| a very loud alarm call | The alarm call is a very loud, harsh, repeating rattling "kek-kek-kek-kek-krrrrrrrrr". (note: tagline) |
| A very loud alarm call that warns other birds and surrounding fauna | When faced with danger, they use their alarm calls to warn other birds and surrounding fauna. (note: stats.superpower; loudness quoted in the previous claim) |
| Grasslands, savannas, cultivated areas and scrub with some trees to roost in, across most of sub-Saharan Africa | Helmeted guinea fowl are found in exposed areas that have some trees for them to roost upon at night. These include grasslands, savannas, cultivated areas and scrub lands. (note: stats.habitat) |
| across most of sub-Saharan Africa | Helmeted guinea fowl are distributed across most of Sub-Sahara Africa. (note: stats.habitat and body) |
| Grass seeds, roots and fruit, plus snails, beetles, ticks, frogs, small lizards and small mice | their plant diet include grass seeds, grain, seedlings, leaves, bulbs, roots, fruit and flower heads. Sources of protein in their diet consist of snails, beetles, insect larvae, ticks, various invertebrates, frogs, small lizards and small mice. (note: stats.diet) |
| is a ground bird with a body shaped like a chicken's | Helmeted guinea fowl are ground birds that have a body shaped similar to a chicken and a grouse. |
| from Senegal in the west to Eritrea at the northern edge of its range, and south to South Africa | They range as far west as Senegal and eastward to Eritrea at the north edge of their range, and southward to South Africa as the furthest southern range. |
| The sides of the head, down to the middle of the neck, are bare and sky blue to dark blue. | The sides of their heads at the ear-covert down to the middle of the neck are bare and are a sky blue to dark blue color. |
| An adult weighs 1,134 to 1,842 grams, which is about 40 to 65 ounces. | Range mass 1134 to 1842 g 39.96 to 64.92 oz |
| The alarm call is a very loud, harsh, repeating rattle, written as "kek-kek-kek-kek-krrrrrrrrr". | The alarm call is a very loud, harsh, repeating rattling "kek-kek-kek-kek-krrrrrrrrr". |
| Calls grow louder and faster when the birds are excited or sense danger | Their calls increase in volume and tempo when they are excited, aggravated or if they since danger. |
| the harsh, dry calls can carry vast distances | Helmeted guinea fowl have harsh, dry calls that can carry vast distances. |
| By day the birds forage on the ground in flocks, and some flocks hold up to 100 birds. | During the day, they are always on the ground foraging for food in flocks of varying size. Some flocks can consist of a single male and female to large flocks with up to 100 birds. |
| At night they roost in trees. | Helmeted guinea fowl flocks roost in trees for protection at night. |
| They eat grass seeds, roots and fruit, and also snails, beetles, ticks, frogs, small lizards and small mice. | their plant diet include grass seeds, grain, seedlings, leaves, bulbs, roots, fruit and flower heads. Sources of protein in their diet consist of snails, beetles, insect larvae, ticks, various invertebrates, frogs, small lizards and small mice. |
| They swallow small pebbles for their gizzards | They also ingest small pebbles for their gizzards. |
| They have been known to eat deer ticks that carry Lyme disease | have been known to consume infected Deer ticks with Lyme disease. |
| they are used as tick and insect control in farm fields | These birds are used as tick and insect control in agricultural fields |
| Their known predators include leopards, servals, crocodiles, snakes and martial eagles. | Known predators include leopards ( Panthera pardus ), servals ( Leptailurus serval ), wildcats ( Felis sivestris ), dogs ( Canis lupus. familiaris ), wolves ( Canis lupus ), large reptiles that include crocodiles ( Crocodylinae ) and snakes ( Serpentes ) and Martial Eagles ( Polemaetus bellicosus ). |
| A female digs a scrape in thick plants and lays around six to fifteen eggs in it, then sits on them for up to thirty days. | Helmeted guinea fowl females dig scrapes in dense vegetation areas with twigs and leaves within the nest. The female will lay around six to fifteen eggs within the depression and incubate them for up to thirty days. |
| The chicks are called keets, and they are fledged in four weeks. | “keets”, term for chicks, are born. The keets forage with the parents once hatched as both parents defend them from dangers. Keets become fledged in four weeks. |
| Their usual reaction to danger is to run, and flying comes last, in a steep climb. | They typically run from danger but can fly as a last resort in a steep upward angle. |
| Keets stay with their parent group for at least fifty to seventy-five days before they become independent. | The keets stay with the parent group for at least fifty to seventy five days before becoming independent. |
| A helmeted guineafowl usually runs from danger | They typically run from danger (note: vibe.reason) |

## AnAge entry for Numida meleagris. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Numida_meleagris

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| AnAge gives an average adult weight of 1,299 grams, which is about 2.9 pounds. | Adult weight 1,299 g (note: 2.9 lb from 1,299 g; AnAge lists it under 'Life history traits (averages)') |
| weightKg: 1.3 | Adult weight 1,299 g (note: battleStats.weightKg; AnAge average (Dunning 2008)) |

## Oschadleus, Schultz & Schultz (2016). Longevity of the Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris. Biodiversity Observations.

https://doi.org/10.15641/bo.390

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A note published in 2016 gave the species' longevity record as a ringed bird caught again 9 years, 2 months and 5 days after it was ringed. | A Helmeted Guineafowl with ring 862414 was recaptured at Diep River wetland in Cape Town after 9 years 2 months 5 days (ringed at the same site), becoming the longevity record for this species. (note: year 2016 is in the reference; dated because a record can be beaten) |
| A 2016 report gives the record as a bird ringed at a Cape Town wetland and caught there again 9 years, 2 months and 5 days later. | recaptured at Diep River wetland in Cape Town after 9 years 2 months 5 days (ringed at the same site), becoming the longevity record for this species. (note: year 2016 is in the reference) |
| The previous record was 7 years, 9 months and 5 days. | The previous record was 7 years 9 months 5 days. |

## Daley et al. (2006). Running over rough terrain: guinea fowl maintain dynamic stability despite a large unexpected change in substrate height. Journal of Experimental Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.01986

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a knack for staying upright when the ground drops away | guinea fowl are quite successful in maintaining dynamic stability, as they stumbled only once (without falling) in the 19 unexpected perturbations (note: tagline) |
| Researchers camouflaged a drop in the running surface so the birds had no visual cue about the drop. | we perturb the running of guinea fowl with an unexpected drop in substrate height (DeltaH). The drop is camouflaged to remove any visual cue about the upcoming change in terrain |
| The guinea fowl stumbled only once in 19 unexpected drops, and did not fall. | they stumbled only once (without falling) in the 19 unexpected perturbations |
| When the drop was in plain sight, they stumbled in 4 of 20 trials and fell twice. | when the birds could see the upcoming drop in terrain, they stumbled in 4 of 20 trials (20%, falling twice) |
| the birds stumbled only once in 19 unexpected drops, without falling | they stumbled only once (without falling) in the 19 unexpected perturbations (note: vibe.reason) |

## Daley & Biewener (2006). Running over rough terrain reveals limb control for intrinsic stability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0601473103

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| adjusting the limb's angle as it touches down explains 80% of the variation in how hard the limb is loaded after the drop | Adjustment of limb contact angle explains 80% of the variation in stance-phase limb loading following the perturbation. (note: limb contact angle = the angle at touchdown) |

## Gatesy (1999). Guineafowl hind limb function. I: Cineradiographic analysis and speed effects. Journal of Morphology.

https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-4687(199905)240:2<115::aid-jmor3>3.0.co;2-y

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| below 2.0 metres per second there is no aerial phase, a moment with both feet off the ground | An aerial phase is not present at speeds less than 2.0 m/sec (note: the gloss of aerial phase is a definition; the study used high-speed cineradiographs (X-ray video) of the skeleton) |
| X-ray video of guineafowl skeletons | High-speed cineradiographs, light films, and videos were used to record hind limb movements across a wide range of speeds. In particular, direct visualization of the skeleton in X-ray images |

## Numida meleagris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22679555A132052202.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-2.rlts.t22679555a132052202.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: stats.conservationStatus; GBIF copy of the Red List, taxon 22679555) |
| The IUCN Red List rated the species Least Concern in 2018. | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: assessment year 2018 is in the DOI and the reference) |