Ocellated Turkey
The Ocellated Turkey (Agriocharis ocellata) is a magnificent large game bird around 36-48 inches and stands about 3-4ft in height.
A more colourful bird than it's northern relative, this species has a much more restricted distribution and is only found in the subtropical lowlands of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala (Yucatan peninsula). Its name comes from the presence of eye spots on the tail feathers.
The bare skin on the head and neck is light blue with orange-yellow knob-like wattles on the top of the head that are used during displays. The wings and tail are broad and rounded with shimmering metallic bronze primaries and metallic emerald-green shoulders. The feathers are dark, metallic brown, barred with metallic shimmering green that looks black in poor light.
Turkeys spend most of the time on the ground and often prefer to run to escape danger through the day rather than fly, though they can fly swiftly and powerfully for short distances as the majority of birds in this order do in necessity. Roosting is usually high in trees away from night hunting predators such as Jaguars and usually in a family group. The Ocellated Turkey lacks the tuft-like beard found on the chest of male and some females of the common wild turkey found in the U.S.A.
Female Ocellated Turkeys lay 8-15 eggs in a well concealed nest on the ground. She incubates the eggs for 28 days. The young are precocial and able to leave the nest after one night. They then follow their mother until they reach young adulthood when they begin to range though often re-grouping to roost.
The voice is similar to the northern species too, the male making the "Gobbling" sound during the breeding season, while the female bird makes a "clucking" sound.
Referenced By
Agriocharis | Meleagrididae | Turkey (Bird)
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