Meet the exotic Helmeted Guineafowl

Our class wild life expert, Greg Johnson, has identified the rare bird seen roosting about in Lorlee's Dallas back yard. It is a Helmeted Guineafowl, Greg says confidently, and he has his sources. That's Greg, center, in a 1988 photo with other wildlife experts, ready for an afternoon of birdwatching. Greg's sources don't say anything about Guineafowl in Texas, so we're not sure where Lorlee's bird came from or why it was attracted there in the first place.

Here is his report:

Lorlee's bird is a Helmeted Guineafowl. In the Sibley Guide To Birds, this bird is on the Exotic Game Birds page, which states, “Many species of upland game birds have been released in North America.
Most releases have been organized by hunting groups and have failed to establish feral populations.” It goes on to say the Helmeted Guineafowl is common in zoos and farmyards, and that a feral population may exist in southern Florida.

Greg Johnson
Data Architect - ACS I.T.