The crested guineafowl (''Guttera pucherani'') is a member of the Numididae, the
guineafowl
Guineafowl (; sometimes called "pet speckled hens" or "original fowl") are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds. Phylogenetically, they branched ...
bird family. It is found in open forest, woodland and forest-savanna mosaics in
sub-Saharan Africa.
Description
It has a total length around 50 cm (20 in) and weighs .
[''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), .] The
plumage
Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
is overall blackish with dense white spots. It has a distinctive black crest on the top of its head, the form of which varies from small curly feathers to
down depending upon
subspecies, and which easily separates it from all other species of guineafowl, except the
plumed guineafowl
The plumed guineafowl (''Guttera plumifera'') is a member of the guineafowl bird family. It is found in humid primary forest in Central Africa. It resembles some subspecies of the crested guineafowl, but has a straighter (not curled) and higher ...
. The names "crested" and "plumed" are often misapplied across the species.
Breeding
The species is
monogamous with probable strong and long-lasting pair bonds.
Courtship feeding
A nuptial gift is a nutritional gift given by one partner in some animals' sexual reproduction practices.
Formally, a nuptial gift is a material presentation to a recipient by a donor during or in relation to sexual intercourse that is not simpl ...
is common, the author having seen a captive male run 5–10 m to the hen to present some particular morsel. The nest is a well-hidden scrape in long grass or under a bush; eggs vary from nearly white to buff and a clutch is usually around four or five.
Intraspecific taxonomy
The intraspecific
taxonomy of the crested guineafowl has been subject to considerable debate, but most recent authorities accept five subspecies (e.g. I. Martinez in ''
Handbook of the Birds of the World''
BW 1994). Visual differences between the subspecies, in addition to the form of the crest, are in the colour and position of any patches on the otherwise grey-blue neck and face. Such patches vary from almost white to yellow, to red. The
nominate subspecies is found in
East Africa from
Somalia to
Tanzania, and is distinctive with a grey-blue neck and extensive red to the face. It was formerly considered a
monotypic species,
[HBW, 1994] the Kenya crested guineafowl, in which case the remaining subspecies, which are found in
southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
,
central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
, and
west Africa, retain the
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
crested guineafowl, but under the
scientific name ''Guttera edouardi''. They have a bluish face and neck, though the nape is very pale greyish (almost white) in some subspecies and the throat is red in others. In 2022, Clements and the IUCN have split the species into three, with the nominate being called eastern crested guineafowl, subspecies sclateri and verreauxi being called western crested guineafowl, and edouardi and Barbara being called southern crested guineafowl. The IOC has left the species complex together.
Subspecies
The five recognized
subspecies are:
* ''G. p. barbata''
(Ghigi
Ghigi was an Italian professional cycling team that existed from 1958 to 1962, leading to the formation of the Salvarani
Salvarani was an Italian professional cycling team that existed from 1963 to 1972. The team was sponsored by the Italian kitch ...
, 1905) – Malawi crested guineafowl – southeastern
Tanzania to eastern
Mozambique and
Malawi
* ''G. p. edouardi''
(Hartlaub
Karel Johan Gustav Hartlaub (8 November 1814 – 29 November 1900) was a German physician and ornithologist.
Hartlaub was born in Bremen, and studied at Bonn and Berlin before graduating in medicine at Göttingen. In 1840, he began to study and c ...
, 1867) - Edward's crested guineafowl – eastern
Zambia to Mozambique and eastern
South Africa
* ''G. p. pucherani''
(Hartlaub, 1861) – Kenya crested guineafowl –
Somalia to
Tanzania,
Zanzibar, and
Tumbatu
Tumbatu (''eneo la kale wa Tumbatu'' in Swahili) is historic Swahili settlement located on Tumbatu Island, Kaskazini A District of Unguja North Region in Tanzania. This site is a significant archaeological site that contains a large number o ...
Island
* ''G. p. sclateri''
( Reichenow, 1898) – Sclater's crested guineafowl – northwestern
Cameroon
* ''G. p. verreauxi''
(Elliot
Elliot (also spelled Eliot, Elliotte, Elliott, Eliott and Elyot) is a personal name which can serve as either a surname or a given name. Although the given name has historically been given to males, females have increasingly been given the name ...
, 1870) – Lindi crested guineafowl –
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...
to western
Kenya,
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
, and
Zambia
References
External links
Crested Guineafowl Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
Crested Guineafowl videoson the Internet Bird Collection
{{Taxonbar, from=Q854855
crested guineafowl
The crested guineafowl (''Guttera pucherani'') is a member of the Numididae, the guineafowl bird family. It is found in open forest, woodland and forest-savanna mosaics in sub-Saharan Africa.
Description
It has a total length around 50 cm (2 ...
Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa
crested guineafowl
The crested guineafowl (''Guttera pucherani'') is a member of the Numididae, the guineafowl bird family. It is found in open forest, woodland and forest-savanna mosaics in sub-Saharan Africa.
Description
It has a total length around 50 cm (2 ...