six African manners of the Fasanenartigen lives in the dry grass and bush-steppes as well as. in closed forest-areas south from the Sahara. Only the Helmperlhuhn (Numida meleagris) is given a home in a subtype also in Morocco's west, furthermore these 55-63 cm became big hen-birds on Madagascar, the Comoros and Maskarenen as well as on St. Helena and the Caribbean islands (Antilles) naturalized. Hausperlhühner - descendants of the west-African subtype Numida meleagris galeata, here and there neglected, - are also in South-France.
Way of life Perlhühner are distinct ground-birds, the flat Erdnester from only few padded ground-hollows positions and, in often large troops of 50-100 animals, every day many kilometers wide to the search of all sorts of vegetable (fruits, seeds, berries, buds) and animal food (insects, spiders, snails, occasionally also amphibians and small reptiles) wanders. As very aware birds, they escape already early and very quickly on foot, only in most outer emergencies, Perlhühner make use also of its wings. To sleeping, the birds fly to roosts in the branches of higher trees where they certainly are before creeping along carnivores.
Reproduction At the reproductive-time, the troops of the Helmperlhühner (misleading also "Schopfperlhühner" named) dissolve, and the brood-pairs (both sexes resemble from) retreat to the Aufzucht of its offspring. According to spread-area, Helmperlhühner live spread in many subtypes over wide parts of Africa; provided coverage exists only sufficiently, they populate also culture-country, otherwise grass, - bush - and open tree-landscapes, the brood-period begins to quite different seasons. In tropical areas, one can find Perlhuhnnester during the entire year. In dry-times of it, Helmperlhühner don't proceed at all to the brood.
The nest consists of 8-12 thickly-stale-y eggs (5 × 4 cm); frequently, also 2 hens put into a common nest so that nests 20 and more eggs can contain. Probably, the hen alone broods for 24-25 days, until the sincerely patterned Dunenjungen slip. The Nestflüchter are airworthy already very early and are led ("Gesperre") only by the female. The cocks keep watch meanwhile. Soon, Helmperlhühner meet again after the slipping the boys in its bigger communities.
Relationships to the human being In the 15. and 16. The Portugiesen Helmperlhühner introduced century from its west-African colonies ("Guinea") as pets in Europe and America why these birds are called in the English "Guinea-Fowl" still today. Already in the antiquity, Egyptians, Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans held North-African races of the Helmperlhuhns ("numidische birds", therefore the scientific name) as house-poultry. According to a Greek saga, the "pearls" are the tears of the two sisters of the Meleagros, that were changed in Perlhühner and mourn its brother's death, in the plumage of the birds. The breeding-trunks from the antiquity got lost; therefore, all present-day races of the west-African Helmperlhuhn descend.
Types The 60 cm big Geierperlhuhn (Acryllium vulturinum) with its relatively small appearing, unbefiederten head, that helped the bird to get its name, wears a cobalt-blue-know-black striped "collar" from long and pointed breast and neck-feathers. The meager Dornensteppen from Somalia until Tanzania are the home of these showy birds.
The 2 types of the Haubenperlhühner (type Guttera) live sociably in dense bush and forest-areas in small groups where they lead a hidden and secluded existence. Kräusel-Haubenperlhuhn (Guttera pucherani) big with the 60 cm consist the head-bonnet of black, frizzy feathers, while the rarer Schlichthauben-Perlhuhn (G). plumifera, a straight, upright feather-bonnet has.
In the tropical rain-forests of Liberia until Ghana, the rare, still largely unknown Weißbrust-Perlhuhn (Agelastes meleagrides) lives. These 48-50 cm big "forest-chickens" live shyly and secretly in pairs or in small troops. The cock differs only in its spores from the female. Also the males of the 43 cm long Schwarzperlhuhns (Agelastes or Phasidus Niger) from the dense forests of South-Cameroon and Gabon until Zaire carry blunt spores (up to 3 per leg); with the hens, this also rare and largely unexplored type lacks the spores or are only small.
Scientific name: