Animal Diaries Archive

Amazing Guinea Fowl

19 October 2007

We have a few new arrivals into the Birds department here at Australia Zoo and they are none other than the amazing Guinea Fowl.
You will find our bunch of female Guinea Fowl wondering around the Grey Roo Heaven sorting through the grass in a tight team of three.

They love to catch any little bugs and insects they can find and steal any of the grain the Roo's leave behind! They also forage for those pesky ticks, because they love eating ticks!

The girls are native to West Africa and are regarded as the original domestic stock. They were used for meat and egg production but they were used as guards to protect livestock from thieves, hawks and snakes. This is because very little goes unnoticed and they can easily raise an alarm with their peculiar screaming when disturbed.

Although quite a large fowl, the Guinea Fowl rarely weighs over 3.5 kg due to their very small frame of bones. The males have slightly larger head appendages and the females seldom screech like the males can. Other than those differences they are really quite similar in appearance.

These birds remain steadfast companions after the male selects his mate. The hens (females) begin to lay around April or May laying from 3 to 5 dozen eggs! Chicks are very small, expected due to the size of the eggs, which are dark in colour. They are layed in secluded areas in the weeds and grass. It is thought that Europeans brought the Guinea Fowl to our main land for the same reasons they are kept in Africa for meat and eggs... but our girls will be here to stay!
So come and say hello to Getriude, Henrietta & Beryl as they are very amusing to watch and they will probably talk back to you if you approach them and say hello!