Courtship feeding is common, the author having seen a captive male run 5–10 m to the hen to present some particular morsel.

The nest is a well-hidden scrape in long grass or under a bush; eggs vary from nearly white to buff and a clutch is usually around four or five.

The intraspecific taxonomy of the crested guineafowl has been subject to considerable debate, but most recent authorities accept five subspecies across three species.

Visual differences between the subspecies, in addition to the form of the crest, are in the colour and position of any patches on the otherwise grey-blue neck and face.

The pucherani species is found in East Africa from Somalia to Tanzania, and is distinctive with a grey-blue neck and extensive red to the face.