Guineafowl

Numididae

Description:

Guinea fowl are of the typical form, which unites all the Fowls: You have a stocky body, short wings, strong legs and a small head. Also, the tail is usually short for chicken (except Geierperlhuhn). The size ranges from 40 cm (genus Agelastes) to 72 cm (Geierperlhuhn), the weight of 700-1650 g. The plumage of the guinea fowl has a black or gray ground color. Only the Geierperlhuhn has a blue bottom, the Weißbrustperlhuhn a pure white chest. , Named for the drawing of the plumage, that is except for the genus Agelastes covered with fine, white dots. Head and neck are featherless always, the bare skin of these games is often very colorful and can be filled with throat sacks, warts, bone combs or scooping. The beak of the guinea fowl is bent short and down. Sometimes he has distant resemblance to a bird of prey beak, especially when Geierperlhuhn. The sharp beak is used for digging in the earth. The same purpose meet the clawed feet. The foot of the guinea fowl is anisodaktyl. As the pheasant-like bear the species of the genus Agelastes spurs on their legs, and although one or two per leg in the male, and zero to one in the female. When Geierperlhuhn there are bumps that are likely to be the back formed spores.

Habitat:

The natural range of the guinea fowl includes Africa south of the Sahara, except completely devoid of vegetation deserts. North of the Sahara, there is an isolated occurrence of Helmperlhuhns in northwest Morocco. During the early ancients there were guinea fowl in Egypt.