Helmeted Guineafowl

Description:

They can actually fly, but they prefer to run! Guineafowl are particularly well-suited to consuming massive quantities of ticks, but the bird in my first photo has several ticks around the eye and the neck... There birs also tend to run in front of the car for some distance, instead of turning aside into safety.

Habitat:

Spotted at open savanna/grassland close to Malelane gate in Kruger National Park. Dry season.

Notes:

Various sub-species are proposed, differences in appearance being mostly a large variation in shape, size and colour of the casque and facial wattles. I am not sure of the subspecies of this one. When I am out in the field in Mozambique, I sometimes see this bird integrated with domestic chickens. I have been told that if you find an egg, and plant it with your chicken eggs, it will hatch and live among them. This is nothing new though, "The ancient Romans domesticated guineafowl for food" according to one of my added references. The helmeted guineafowl is capable of strong flight, but it is mainly terrestrial often choosing to run rather than fly. It typically roosts in trees.