A guineafowl of West Africa's Upper Guinea forests. In a Taï National Park study, birds walked the forest floor, scratched through leaves, and searched mainly for invertebrates.
It is a guineafowl with a white breast.
White-breasted Guineafowl live in groups in West African forest. They walk slowly through leaf litter, searching for food while exchanging quiet calls. Researchers followed their daily lives in Côte d’Ivoire’s Taï National Park.
A February 1989–February 1991 study accumulated 118 sightings and 120 hours of direct observation. Birds scratched leaves two or three times with each foot, inspected the ground and pecked at food. When one bird found abundant food and gave excited calls, others sometimes ran over to feed nearby.
At night, birds flew into slender understorey trees, roosting about 6–15 metres above ground. They usually perched individually in different trees, with a group spread over roughly 30 by 30 metres. Forest-floor feeding and elevated roosts formed contrasting parts of their daily routine.
IUCN Red List · Vulnerable · Global
The 2021 IUCN global assessment lists this species as Vulnerable, with a decreasing trend. Forest clearance for agriculture, logging and poaching are principal threats. Effective forest protection, reduced poaching and community participation are needed, alongside surveys to clarify populations and key sites in Liberia and Ghana.