Dave Taylor's African Safari: Trophic Level II - The Herbivores - Birds

Dave Taylor's African Safari: Trophic Level II - The Herbivores - Birds - Page 5

Trophic Level II - The Herbivores
Birds
Page 5

Some 400 species of birds have been recorded in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Of this wide variety, there are several species that eat seeds and other parts of the local vegetation. Most of these birds will feed on insects from time to time. Some do it on an occasional basis while others switch diets depending on the time of year.

The birds in this section were selected because their diet consists mainly of plant products. There are far too many species of birds to describe in detail here, so only representative species have been selected. Many other species may be found in the Field Guide on this CDROM.

Helemted Guineafowl
Numida meleagris

Length: 50 cm (20")

Status: Common, abundant on the plains

Habitat: Helmeted guineafowl are found up to an altitude of 2 250 meters (7,380 feet). They like dry natural areas where there is bush and forest cover.

Food: Helmeted guineafowl are omnivores. The species feeds on seeds, berries, greens, tubers and insects. Among the insects it eats are grasshoppers and termites. It also eats snails, spiders, millipedes and other small animals.

Social System/Behavior: Helmeted guineafowl are often found in large flocks, scurrying about the bush or scraping through the dust looking for food. At dawn and in the evenings, they fly to water to drink. At noon, in the heat of the day, they seek shade under bushes. For the rest of the day, they feed.

When it is time for the female to nest, she makes a scrape in dense cover and lines it with feathers and grass. In it, she lays up to 12 eggs. Helmeted guineafowl have been known to have a communal nest where several females lay eggs. Up to 50 eggs have been found in one of these communal nests.

Predators: Servals, jackals and other carnivores feed on helmeted guineafowl whenever the opportunity presents itself. Even lions have been known to feed on these birds. Monitor lizards will feed on the eggs.

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