Helmeted Guineafowl
Numida meleagris
Silhouette: Matías Muñoz · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderGalliformes (Landfowl)
- FamilyNumididae (Guineafowl)
- GenusNumida (Helmeted Guineafowl)
- SpeciesNumida meleagris (Helmeted Guineafowl)
About the Helmeted Guineafowl
The helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) is the best known of the guinea fowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida. It is native to Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced, as a domesticated species, into the West Indies, North America, Colombia, Brazil, Australia and Europe.
The helmeted guinea fowl was formally described by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Phasianus meleagris. In 1764, Linnaeus moved the helmeted guinea fowl to the new genus Numida. The genus name Numida is Latin for "North African".
In the early days of the European colonisation of North America, the native wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) was confused with this species. The word meleagris, Greek for guinea fowl, is also shared in the scientific names of the two species, though for the guinea fowl it is the species name, whereas for the turkey, it is the name of the genus and, in inflected form, the former family, Meleagridididae.
The nine recognised subspecies are: The helmeted guinea fowl is a large, 53 to 58 cm (21 to 23 in) bird... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Helmeted Guineafowl in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park
Crested Guineafowl
Guttera pucherani
Crested Francolin
Ortygornis sephaena
Natal Francolin
Pternistis natalensis
Common Quail
Coturnix coturnix
Red-necked Francolin
Pternistis afer
Harlequin Quail
Coturnix delegorguei
Swainson's Francolin
Pternistis swainsonii
Coqui Francolin
Campocolinus coqui
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Helmeted Guineafowl in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Helmeted Guineafowl sighting in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Helmeted Guineafowl in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Helmeted Guineafowl in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in our monthly data.