I was quite happy with the way I rendered the texture of this beast's facial skin. I own a gazillion specialty brushes in Photoshop and happened upon one that worked perfectly! The vulturine guineafowl are named for their bald head and neck, which resembles a vulture's. These birds can be quite aggressive towards one another and have been known to fatally injure their own kind if competition for food or prime roosting areas comes into question. Even the chicks have been known to attack one another.
Captive hens have produced up to 40 eggs in just one 3-clutch season. Nests may contain eggs from more than one hen and they may share incubation duties. The eggshells of this species are extremely thick and difficult to break. Chicks hatch by "breaking out" instead of chipping away at the shell. The chicks are well-developed when they hatch and can fly within a few days.
These birds can survive long periods without water and tend to acquire the majority of their water requirements from the vegetation that they consume.
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