Population Status, Feeding Behaviour and Habitat Preference of Helmeted Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris) in Surrounding Vegetation of Cross River University Technology, Obubra Campus

The population status, feeding behaviour and habitat preference of the helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) were investigated in this research. The period of carrying out the research comprised from january to october, of 2021. The line transect method was used to collect data on the population status of the species. The quadrate vegetation sampling method was used to investigate the preferred habitat. Data generated from the research were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while results were compared using chi-square (X2) test, one way Analysis of Variance and t-test. The average number Numida meleagris in the study area was 434 and 293 during the wet and dry seasons, respectively. The most important daytime activities of the species were feeding, resting, scanning and running. The observed population differ significantly across sectors during the wet and dry seasons (X2 = 8.00, p = 0.03). The relationship between allocated time to each activity and time of the day was greatly significant (X2= 4.04, p = .001). The number of individuals was 3.0±4.0 and 5.0±0.2 individuals/km2 during the dry and wet seasons, respectively. The importance value index (IVI) for Gmelina arborea, Tectona grandis and Elaeis guineensis were 24.41, 20.39, and 18.17, representing the dominant plant species in the study area. Human disturbance was responsible for loss of habitat, nesting and foraging sites. Protection of the habitat against exploitation will reduce poaching habitat destruction, and restore its nesting sites, thereby increasing its population.