The West Lothian Courier has teamed up with Blair Drummond Safari Park to offer readers the chance to win a family pass for two adults and two children each week - and learn a bit more about their residents at the same time.
“Driving through the safari park’s African reserve, your gaze will most likely be drawn to the seriously impressive two-tonne rhinos or our elegant antelopes,” said the park’s communications and conservation manager Jamie-Leigh Green.
“What you may not immediately notice, are the somewhat smaller residents. Living side-by-side with our bigger animals is our flock of Guinea fowl.
“Guinea fowl are medium-sized ground-feeding birds about the size of a chicken. They are distinctive in look, with dark grey/black plumage dotted and regular white spots. They have a bald head topped with a dinosaur-like crest and red wattles around their beak.
“Guinea Fowl are typically monogamous and usually mate for life, although occasionally a Guinea fowl may choose another partner.
“The couple’s nest can contain up to 20 eggs at a time, but these nests are communal in nature and may contain eggs from multiple pairs. Guinea fowl chicks are known as ‘keets’ and they will hatch after 30 days of incubation. Guinea fowl are very social birds who live in small groups.
Despite their small size, they are very territorial animals and aren’t afraid to defend what’s theirs! If anything out of the ordinary does appear to be a threat, they will make a very loud screeching alarm call. As such, they make very good ‘watchdogs’ and people will often keep them to ward off predators from their land.
“Guinea fowl are also useful for scaring away snakes and can even work together to catch, kill, and eat them.
“If they are ever seriously threatened by a predator, they prefer to run from predators rather than fly.
“They are actually very strong flyers, but they tend to only fly for short distances.
“The collective term for Guinea fowl is a ‘confusion’. This seems to be due to the fact that they can be quite forgetful and can easily become confused. Make sure to keep an eye out for our confusion of Guinea fowl next time you are in the park.”
For a chance to win a family pass, which can be used any one day during the park’s opening season this year, see this week's Courier.
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