Stats

Lifespan: 10-15 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Flock
Biome: Tropical savanna
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Movement: Running
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Herd Safety
Status: Common

About

A speckled, dome-headed fowl best known for its bony helmet casque and raucous, rattling calls that carry across farmyards and savannas alike. Native to Africa, it's now kept worldwide as a hardy, tick-eating guardian of chicken coops.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A large clutch of eggs sits in a shallow ground scrape, incubated by the hen until the brood hatches together.
2.
hatchling chick
A downy chick leaves the nest within hours of hatching and pecks for food alongside the hen.
3.
juvenile
A juvenile grows its first body feathers, learns to fly short bursts, and stays in the brood until fledged.
4.
adult
Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Numididae
Genus: Numida
Species: Numida meleagris