Helmeted Guineafowl
These birds are natives of Africa but, some are domesticated in locations around the globe.
How and when these characters arrived in Kin Town, Okinawa is a mystery.
For about a week, I've been tracking them down and observing their behavior.
Early morning and late afternoons they may be seen in different parts of town.
On a morning walk with the dog and no big camera handy, we first saw the birds.
Thanks to iPhone 7 and a curious dog this scene was quickly composed.
The mutt is normally afraid of his own shadow but, wanted to see what all the racket was about.
The birds, when they saw him coming, squawked, gobbled, honked, and squealed.
They ran around like a couple of lunatics and as the dog got close, flew a short distance away.
When he approached again, they escaped into the forest nearby.
Getting an Identification
Luckily, a young man was leaving his house and saw me taking shots with the cellphone.
He grabbed his phone and began zooming in on the dog and birds, too.
Asking him if he knew what the birds were, he didn't know. First time for both of us.
He walked back to his front door and showed the photos to somebody.
When he returned he said, they were Horohoro tori.
At home, I did some internet research and found out the birds were Helmeted Guineafowl.
It Was Time for a Real Camera and Big Lens
It didn't take long to figure out, Mr. Canine couldn't be with me as I was photographing birds.
As long as they would squawk and run away, he'd chase them, just for fun.
A little kitten, could raise its back, and be ready to scratch, and the dog would get scared.
But, something runs, and he'll chase!
Hunting without the dog and carrying the Pentax, tripod, and 560 MM lens, worked.
A few things learned about these birds leads me to belive they are alright.
A local, described the meat as tasty. And some on Facebook claim the taste as, gamy.
"Horohoro" in Japanese means, a gurgling bird sound.
The critters eat just about anything, including ticks!
To learn more about Helmeted Guineafowl visit eBird and, you can listen to their sounds.
The only way these birds could have arrived in Kin Town, is somebody brought them here.
The closest zoos are miles away so, I don't think they are escapees.
There is a place in Japan raising Helmeted Guineafowl on Yoron Island.
That's more than a few miles away so, it's unlikely the birds flew here. Maybe, they were pets.
Somebody got tired of them and didn't want to eat them, and turned them loose.
They Also Do Crazy Stuff
On another non-camera walk with the dog, I was in an area the birds aren't normally seen.
On a sidestreet overlooking the ocean, not far from a restaurant, the Guineafowl appeared.
The restaurant's chef was ready to chase the birds away with a broom.
My unleashed canine spotted the birds and ran towards them, chasiing them away.
The chef had noticed a bird, looking at its reflection on the side of a black car.
The creature saw another male bird, looking back at him, and began scratching the car door!
This photo was taken with the iPhone, zoomed and in a rush to shoot before the dog ran it off.
Are there any birds like this in your neck of the woods?
