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Vulturine Guineafowl
An odd-looking bird that lives in cliques.
© Roger Sargent
The Vulturine Guineafowl is a striking bird. It lacks feathers on its head and neck and has a blue breast with silvery plumes. The species has a complex social structure. Distinct groups, similar to high school cliques, mingle but don’t change membership. Such a multilevel society was previously only known in large-brained mammals such as primates, dolphins, and elephants.
BirdNote®
Vulturine Guineafowl
Written by Bob Sundstrom
This is BirdNote.
[Vulturine Guineafowl, https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/116369321, 0.03-06]
The Vulturine Guineafowl is a preposterous looking bird. It stands two feet tall, with a cobalt-blue breast draped with silvery plumes. And the “vulturine”? That’s because its head and neck are bare, like those of a vulture. The birds inhabit dry areas with tall grass and thorn bushes in Sub-Saharan Africa.
What intrigues scientists about Vulturine Guineafowl is that they form multilevel societies. They live in distinct groups — a bit like high school cliques. Membership doesn’t change, although they may temporarily mingle with other specific groups. And these groups aren’t territorial or aggressive toward each other.
[Vulturine Guineafowl, https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/116369321, 0.03-06]
Multiple groups may come together to roost at night — a supergroup. But in the morning, they divide into their regular cliques. Other supergroups form at daytime feeding areas, helping them watch for predators. To get back with their own squad, guineafowl are able to track which individuals belong to their group and which to other groups.
Previously, multilevel societies were known only among large-brained mammals, like primates, dolphins, and elephants.
[Vulturine Guineafowl, https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/116368161], 0.46-.49], 0.13-.16]
What is it about Vulturine Guineafowl that has led to the evolution of this social system that resembles that of primates?
[https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/116368161, 0.13-.16]
For BirdNote, I’m Mary McCann.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Production Manager: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
Digital Producer: Conor Gearin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Vulturine Guineafowl ML 116369321 and ML 116368161 recorded by S. Toner.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2021 BirdNote July 2021 Narrator: Mary McCann
ID# ACRVUL-01-2021-07-26 ACRVUL-01
Acryllium vulturinum
References:
https://www.mpg.de/14071193/multilevel-society-birds
https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/the-unusual-social…
https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/birds/vulturine-guineafowl/
Bob Sundstrom
Writer
Mary McCann
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