White-breasted Guineafowl vs Western Crested Guineafowl
Agelastes meleagrides compared with Guttera verreauxi
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | White-breasted Guineafowl | Western Crested Guineafowl |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Agelastes meleagrides | Guttera verreauxi |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Numididae | Numididae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 44.0 cm (17.3 in) | 54.3 cm (21.4 in) |
| Weight | 815.0 g (28.75 oz) | 1035.0 g (36.51 oz) |
| Diet | Forages in African rainforest understorey for invertebrates, seeds, and fallen fruits. Scratches leaf litter in … | Omnivorous; forages in West African forests and savanna for invertebrates, seeds, and small fruits. Scratches … |
| Clutch Size | 12 | 4-5 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
White-breasted Guineafowl
Emits a high-pitched, metallic chink-chink call and soft clucking contact notes. The ringing, metallic notes are unlike typical guineafowl calls; heard in West African lowland rainforest.
Western Crested Guineafowl
Produces a loud, raucous cackling call and guttural chuckling notes. The raucous cackling call echoes through West African forest edge and gallery forest; slightly lower than Eastern Crested.
Geographic Range & Migration
White-breasted Guineafowl
Resident in the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa from Sierra Leone and Liberia east to Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Found in lowland rainforest.
Western Crested Guineafowl
Resident in West Africa from Côte d'Ivoire to Nigeria. Found in forest, forest-savanna mosaic, and secondary growth.
Conservation Status
White-breasted Guineafowl
Western Crested Guineafowl
How to Tell Them Apart
White-breasted Guineafowl
Body black with white breast and upper belly creating sharp bicoloured pattern; bare pink-red head and neck; no casque or wattles; tail black. Pied black-and-white body pattern is unique among …
Western Crested Guineafowl
Dark grey-black body densely spotted white; bare blue-grey and red facial skin; distinctive curly black crest on crown; facial skin turquoise-blue; red wattles. Black curly crest separates from Helmeted Guineafowl.
About These Birds
White-breasted Guineafowl
A medium-sized guineafowl (~815 g) of family Numididae, with white breast, black body, and a bare pinkish-red head. Inhabits primary lowland rainforest understory in West Africa, from Sierra Leone to Ivory Coast. Forages on the forest floor in small flocks for seeds, fruits, and invertebrates. Vulnerable due to severe deforestation of Upper Guinea forests and hunting.
Western Crested Guineafowl
A medium-large guineafowl (~1 kg) of family Numididae, with spotted black-and-white plumage and a curly black crest. Found in forest edges, moist woodland, and savanna in West Africa from Gambia to Nigeria. Forages in flocks for seeds, invertebrates, and small vertebrates. Least Concern; common across West African forest-savanna mosaic and tolerates habitat disturbance.