Vulturine Guineafowl

SCI Name:  Acryllium vulturinum
Protonym:  Numida vulturina Proc.Zool.Soc.London Pt2 no.18 p.52
Taxonomy:  Galliformes / Numididae / Acryllium
Taxonomy Code:  vulgui1
Type Locality:  West Africa, error = Tsavo, Kenya Colony, proposed by Friedmann, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., no. 153, 1930, p. 136.
Author:  Hardwicke
Publish Year:  1834
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ACRYLLIUM
(Numididae; Ϯ Vulturine Guineafowl A. vulturinum)  Dim. < Gr. ακρις akris  point, spike (cf. ακριδιον akridion  spikelet). The Vulturine Guineafowl has a very pointed tail and numerous lanceolate feathers on the underparts; "16 Schwanzfedern, die mittleren lanzettförmig zugespitzt, die mittelsten verlängert   ...   Federn des Halses bandförmig, schwarz mit weissem lanzettförmigen Schaftstreif und besonders die des Nackens mit kobaltblauen Säumen" (Reichenow 1901).  According to Agassiz 1842-1846, this is a proper name, but I can find no basis for such an etymology (a derivation from Acrillae, an ancient city of Sicily, would make no sense or be very obscure); "ACRYLLIUM, n.  Numida, Hardw.  A. vulturinum, (Hardw.) n.  Gould's Icon. Av., pl." (G. Gray 1840); "Acryllium G. R. Gray, List Gen. Bds., 1840, p. 61. Type, by original designation, Numida vulturina Hardwicke." (Peters 1934, II, 139).
Var. Acryllion.

vulturina / vulturinum / vulturinus
L. vulturinus  like a vulture, vulturine (e.g. bald-headed)  < vultur, vulturis  vulture.
● ex “Caffre” of Levaillant 1796, pl. 6 (?syn. Aquila verreauxi).
● ex Vultur albicilla Linnaeus, 1766 (syn. Haliaeetus albicilla).
● ex “Philédon vulturin” of Hombron & Jacquinot 1841 (syn. Philemon inornatus).