Bird Album
Black Guineafowl
Agelastes niger (Cassin, 1857)
42 cmLength700 gWeight
The black guinea fowl (Agelastes niger) is a terrestrial bird of the Numididae (guinea fowl) family found in humid forests in West-Central Africa.
Most records: Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic
Where and when it's recorded
Black Guineafowl has been recorded at 11 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Ipassa Makokou Nature ReserveGabon8 records
- Korup NP – Rengo Rock Camp AreaCameroon6 records
- Ipassa Makokou Strict NR – Ipassa StationGabon5 records
More places
- Sangha LodgeCentral African Republic3 records
- PN Loango – AkakaGabon3 records
- PN de la LopéGabon2 records
- Doli Lodge, Dsanga SangaCentral African Republic1 record
- Odzala NP – Lango CampCongo - Brazzaville1 record
- Odzala NP – Mboko CampCongo - Brazzaville1 record
- Ngaoundaba RanchCameroon1 record
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The black guinea fowl (Agelastes niger) is a terrestrial bird of the Numididae (guinea fowl) family found in humid forests in West-Central Africa. It is a medium-sized, black galliforme bird with a bare, orange-pink head and upper neck. As it inhabits dense, potentially inaccessible, regions of equatorial African jungle, little is known of black guinea fowl behaviour or habits.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black Guineafowl?
The Black Guineafowl is about 42 cm long and weighs around 700 g.
Where does the Black Guineafowl live?
Its breeding range: Africa: southeastern Nigeria to central DR Congo. It is most often recorded in Gabon, Cameroon and Central African Republic.
Is the Black Guineafowl endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black Guineafowl as Least Concern.
What does the Black Guineafowl eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Black Guineafowl in?
It belongs to the family Guineafowl (Numididae), order Galliformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 42 cm
- Weight
- 700 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 210 mm
- Tail
- 136 mm
- Bill
- 28 mm
- Tarsus
- 70 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: southeastern Nigeria to central DR Congo
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Guineafowl Numididae
- Genus
- Agelastes
Other birds in the genus Agelastes
White-breasted GuineafowlAgelastes meleagrides
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagris
Plumed GuineafowlGuttera plumifera
Western Crested GuineafowlGuttera verreauxi
Eastern Crested GuineafowlGuttera pucherani
Southern Crested GuineafowlGuttera edouardi
Vulturine GuineafowlAcryllium vulturinum
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Xavier Rufray. ↗
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