Food Habits of the Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris Linnaeus, 1758) in the Derived Savanna of Ofaji, Kogi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Maximizing the ecological, nutritional and economic benefits of Helmeted Guineafowl hinges greatly on general conservation and improved domestication of the species. Since the bird is not migratory, its survival or fitness is based on the resilience in adapting to any given environment. So, understanding the site-specific requirements of the bird is fundamentally essential. Information on the natural food habits of the bird in Ofaji vegetation is not available. Thus, the objectives of this study were to identify plant and animal diets of N. meleagris and to deduce its food preferences on the bases of sex, age and periods of the year. Ofaji is located on Latitude 7.61º 87′45″ North of the equator, and longitude 6.98º 50′91″ East of the Greenwich meridian. The study was based on the hypotheses that there are no significant differences in the food habits of the bird on the bases of age, sex and seasons respectively. Collection of the bird commenced on January 5, 2022 using instant kill by local gunshot. 35 birds were collected during the off-farming period, while 32 birds were collected during the farming period. Food items recovered from the gut of the bird included earthworm, 17 different arthropods and assorted parts of 24 plant species as tabulated. Percentage frequency was used to deduce food preference, while independent samples t-test (P < 0.05) was used to determine differences in the food habits of the bird on the bases of sex, age and seasons. It was found that N. meleagris has euryphagic food habits, feeding on both wild and cultivated plants along with arthropods and other small organisms. Consumption of animal food items was significantly higher in immature birds than in matured birds (t = 2.293, p = 0.028). Helmeted Guineafowl farmers should feed their birds with the identified natural food items.