Vulturine Guineafowl head

myminifactory

The vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum) stands out as the largest surviving species of its kind. Systematically, it is only distantly related to other guineafowl genera, but shares a closer bond with the white-breasted guineafowl, Agelastes meleagrides, which inhabits primary forests in Central Africa. As a member of the bird family Numididae, and the sole representative of its genus Acryllium, it thrives as a resident breeder in northeast Africa, from southern Ethiopia through Kenya and into northern Tanzania. For more information on birds, visit the "Mark My Bird" project: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/955c0fd6-2b96-46ed-b6f9-9060100cf825. The vulturine guineafowl boasts a large (61–71 cm) body with a rounded shape and small head. It possesses longer wings, neck, legs, and tail compared to other guineafowl species. The adult features a bare blue face and black neck, setting it apart from its feathered-headed counterparts. Its resemblance to a vulture is striking due to the long, bare neck and head. A distinctive feature of this bird is the slim neck that projects from a cape of long, glossy, blue and white hackles. The breast shines with cobalt blue plumage, while the rest of its body is black, finely spangled with white. Its wings are short and rounded, and the tail is longer than those found in other Numididae family members. While both sexes exhibit similar characteristics, females tend to be slightly smaller than males, with smaller tarsal spurs. Young birds display a mainly grey-brown hue, accompanied by duller blue breast plumage and shorter hackles. The vulturine guineafowl is known for its gregarious nature, often forming flocks of approximately 25 birds outside the breeding season. Its diet consists primarily of seeds and small invertebrates. When threatened, this bird tends to run rather than fly. Despite inhabiting open habitats, it prefers to keep to cover and roosts in trees, producing loud chink-chink-chink-chink-chink calls. In terms of breeding habits, the vulturine guineafowl thrives in dry and open environments with scattered bushes and trees, such as savannah or grassland. Typically, females lay 4-8 cream-colored eggs in a well-hidden grass-lined scrape.