Helmeted Guineafowl

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Helmeted Guineafowl
Photo Information
Copyright: Lenka Gondova (lgfoto) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 257 W: 16 N: 277] (1416)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-02-19
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon 40D, Canon 70-200 F4 L USM IS
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/1200 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Travelogue: Tanzania 2008
Date Submitted: 2008-03-24 15:25
Viewed: 444
Points: 8
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This bird I never saw before our trip to Tanzania. They behaved like the most stupid creatures ever.
Taken in Ngorongoro Crater, but they were all around all 4 parks we were during the trip. This one fighting for the meal with other birds during lunch stop at dedicated picnic place.

From Wikipedia:
The Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) is the best known of the guineafowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida. It breeds in Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced into the West Indies and southern France.

It breeds in warm, fairly dry and open habitats with scattered shrubs and trees such as savanna or farmland. It lays its large clutch of 20-30 eggs in a well-hidden lined scrape, and the females incubate the eggs for 26-28 days. The chicks are cryptically coloured and rapid wing growth enables them to flutter onto low branches barely a week after hatching. These guineafowl live as long as 12 years in the wild.

The Helmeted Guineafowl is a large (53-58 cm) bird with a round body and small head. They weigh about 1.3 kg. The body plumage is gray-black spangled with white. Like other guineafowl, this species has an unfeathered head, in this case decorated with a dull yellow or reddish bony knob, and red and blue patches of skin. The wings are short and rounded, and the tail is also short.

Finland_in_Eton, kmr13777, vanderschelden has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Very nice exposure, action is captured perfectly. Super detail... great POV... too bad that you didn't get the entire bird in frame, but the composition is still very nice. Good DOF, as well.

At a stable where I use to board my horse the owner kept guinea fowl as part of an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical bug sprays. We laughingly use to say 'five birds, one brain'... where ever the designated leader went the rest followed... much like watching a school of fish, lol.

TFS, Mish

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3085 W: 231 N: 5879] (19530)
  • [2008-03-24 22:08]

This is absolutely gorgeous, Lenka.
You caught this guinea fowl in the best pose to show off the wonderful markings on his plumage. The sharpness of those white spots and their tight patterns give the bird a psychedelic look. Great job and TFS. : )

Hi Lenka,
I haven't seen this bird either. A very beautiful bird with a very small but very colorful head in comparison to it's body. Great capture with nice details and DOF.

TFS
Kirti

Hi Lenka,
Never saw one showing the wings like that...
Very good moment. Sharp.
TFS
Annick

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