Vulturine Guinea Fowl are lare birds and one of the most unique-looking varieties of guinea fowl — easily identified by their unmistakable bare skinned, blue-gray head and neck with a band of short chestnut brown feathers behind its eyes on the back of its head. The Vulturine’s back and breast is a brilliant blue color with long, white stripes and it has a black patch on the center of its chest. It is spotted on its wings and rear half of body, and has a long, drooping tail. Females are similar to the males, but they are slightly smaller and have smaller tarsal spurs. Chicks will develop light blue underneath at just a few weeks of age. Vulturine Guineas’ voices are sometimes described as sounding like a creaking wagon wheel.

Vulturine Guineas are native to sub-Saharan Africa and in the wild they are known to travel in flocks of 20-50 birds.

Captive-bred Vulturines can become very tame and do very well in an aviary. Males can sometimes be aggressive towards hens, so plan for a large sized aviary with plenty of cover for the hen. They are best kept in pairs, and can be kept with other species as long as the aviary is large enough. Guineas are known to wander in search of food, it is important to keep them confined a minimum for 3-4 weeks before allowing them to free range. They will then associate their new location as home. Even with this confinement they might wander off, if this is a concern keep them continually confined.

Breeding season varies, with some laying in early spring and again in the fall. Hens will breed their first year with a clutch size of 4-8 eggs, and they will lay several clutches if their eggs removed. Vulturine Guinea eggs have an incubation period of 24 days. Hens prefer to lay eggs under thick grasses or shrubs.

Vulturine chicks need plenty of live food like mealworms to get them started. Males will often readily adopts chicks, brooding them at night, showing them food, and protecting them. Green food should be an important part of the diet of both adults and young.

Vulturine Guineas are fairly hardy birds — they tolerate heat well, but require protection from colder weather. Where temperatures reach freezing, they will need a heated and enclosed shelter