Helmeted Guineafowl

Very common resident. Told by blue neck, red cap and horny casque on head. Chick (a) is buffy-brown, striped darker; juvenile (b) predominantly brown, darker on upper parts, head-stripes remaining until casque starts growing; immature (c) resembles adult but has feathered neck, dark brown helmet and rudimentary casque. Normal adult call is a much-repeated ‘ker-bek-ker-bek-ker-bek, krrrrrr…’; female also utters a continual piping ‘t-phueet-t-phueet-t-phueet…’. When not breeding, flocks are sometimes very large, occurring in grassland, bushveld and farmlands. Regularly goes to water in the evenings.