Description:

The guinearunner is a large species of guineafowl that resembles a ratite. They have replaced the niche that ostriches (Struthio) held in Africa due the ostriches  dying out on the mainland about 20 million years earlier. It is unknown what exactly drove the ostriches to extinction on the main continent, since they are still on Zinj (an island consisting of what is now East Africa.) It has theorized to be low genetic diversity to disease, but researchers aren't exactly positive. They have often been compared to the southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) due to their blue face and head casque. The casque is likely due to their ancestor, the helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris), having it, and it being crucial for their sexual selection. They are, however, much smaller than the southern cassowary (and ostriches for that matter), with a height of 0.9 to 1 meter at the top of the body. Their neck is about 0.4 meters long, and they can use this neck to reach higher places. Although, they keep their neck level to their body most of the time, much like moas. The body feathers are usually dark brown to black and some small white feathers. Unlike their ancestors, these birds do not possess wings, the only remnant being a small bone near the ribs. They have a red and blue head with a head crest, a pointed beak, and two skin flaps on the neck. They also have three toes on each foot with short claws. They live about 18 to 20 years in the wild and about 30 to 40 years in captivity.

Distribution:

Guinearunners are native to the open woodland, savanna, and lowland tropical rainforest regions of the Congo Savannah and Congo Rainforest.

Diet:

The guinearunners are omnivorous birds that eat a variety of foods. They eat fruit, grasses, nuts, insects, fungi, leaves, and small vertebrates.

Behavior:

Guinearunners are solitary species, only coming together to breed and to have offspring. They are mainly found foraging and eat anything they can swallow. They usually stay in a particular area until food is scarce or predators are nearby. Speaking of predators, their main defense against predators is running away. They can outrun most predators given that they can reach at speeds up to 70 kilometers per hour. They are fairly skittish given due to the fact they don't many other defensive adaptations besides pecking and scratching. They also can be found grooming themselves free of ticks and other parasites.

Males will often fight for territory by kicking and pecking at each other. It can cause injuries to each other, so male guinearunners tend to stay away from each other. Males usually do this by producing a loud booming call. It is interesting to note that guinearunners' territories in the rainforest regions are usually smaller in terms of total area. It is likely this is due to the rainforests having a high population of guinearunners compared to the grassland and woodland regions.

Reproduction:

Breeding season starts during the middle of the dry season and ends near the beginning of the wet season. Male guinearunners mainly use their crest to attract female guinearunners, but they will do a dance to prove themselves as suitable fathers. If the female doesn't like the dance, she will leave, but if she does like the dance, she will mate with the male. Once the pair has mated, the male waits around until the female lays the eggs. After the female builds a nest and lays the eggs, the male will incubate them. The eggs will hatch, and the father guinearunner will be the primary caretaker. The male will take care of them until they reach sexuality matured, which is about 3 years.