Tufted guinea fowl

[Dave S]

Whilst walking the dog again this morning I spotted 9 tufted guinea fowl and managed to take a picture. They were in an adjacent field roaming free, does this mean that they are escapees?

Dave S.

[Adam Cheeseman]

Yes (unless they're free range birds). They sure haven't flown here from sub-saharan Africa.

Cheers,

Adam

[aeshna5]

Presume you mean Helmeted Guinea Fowl which are commonly kept in captivity + sometimes encountered as you experienced. They are listed on the BTO survey forms, so I guess they're not that unusual to occasionally bump into. I've only seen them a couple of times in the UK away from collections/farms.

[Dave S]

Thank you both for the help.
As I have explained in a previous post I am very new to observing our wildlife. After missing a foto of a Little Egret some weeks ago I now always carry a camera when out walking. After enlarging the foto's I have found them in my book as Numida Meleagris. The 9 birds were in open farmland and not in any form of enclosure.

If escapees, would they survive in the wild in Britain ?

Thanks again,
Dave S

[RKB]

They don't breed in the wild, but are similar to wandering peacocks (or even cats) that sometimes go walkabout. They are often kept around pheasant pens and farms, so you sometimes see them wandering around woods and fields. Occasionally they'll wander off for good, just like cats and peacocks will, and live for a year or two in the wild.