Black Guineafowl Agelastes niger Scientific name definitions

c. 40–43 cm; c. 700 g. Distinguished from larger Guttera plumifera by lack of long plumes on pinkish head and unspotted plumage (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Head bare, skin either rose-red or pink (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), with short crest of black down and some downy feathers on throat and neck (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); rest of plumage black, but centre of belly vermiculated buffy white (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); 1–3 spurs (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Female similar to male, but averages smaller and has at most one spur (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Iris brownish grey, bill greenish grey and legs greyish brown (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Juvenile has belly white and buffy tips to upperparts feathers, grey-brown wing-coverts and rufous-vermiculated dusky breast feathers (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); spurless.

SE Nigeria S to N Angola (Cabinda) and E, N of R Congo, to extreme NE DRCongo.

Dense primary rainforest, with possible preference for dense undergrowth; also occurs at forest edge in Gabon, and in abandoned cultivation in forest clearing in N Angola, but in Cameroon apparently restricted to forest interior.

Sedentary.

Basically insects, with beetles, ants and termites recorded; other invertebrates such as millipedes and small frogs. Plant matter includes hard seeds, green leaves and fruits (e.g. of palm trees). Forages on ground, scratching with feet, sometimes in groups of up to ten birds (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Gives musical, high-pitched “kwee” repeated frequently at rate of 2–3 per second, but becomes even shriller and faster in alarm (5–6 per second) (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Probably monogamous (1 Madge, S., and P. McGowan (2002). Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse, including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). In NE DRCongo, breeds in almost any month, but mainly during drier period of Dec–Feb; elsewhere little known, and birds captured Dec–Feb in Congo, and Sept in Angola were not in breeding condition. Nest undescribed. Eggs pale reddish brown, sometimes tinged yellow or violet; size c. 42 mm × 34 mm. Chicks mainly dark rufous and black above.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Mace Lande: Safe. Total population may number 100,000–500,000 birds. Probably declining due to habitat loss and hunting pressure, but still reasonably common in at least some protected areas, e.g. Korup National Park, Cameroon (2 Thomas, J. (1991). Birds of the Korup National Park, Cameroon. Malimbus 13(1):11–23. Close ). Far more extensive range than congeneric A. meleagrides is main reason that present species is considered to be secure, although virtually no recent information available from most of range, e.g. in DRCongo and Central African Republic. Alarming rapidity with which forest is destroyed in some parts of Africa suggests that before too long detailed study of ecological requirements of species would be highly desirable, with a view to establishing additional suitable protected areas within its range; effective control of hunting seems necessary, at any rate in parts of range, in combination with campaigns of environmental education.