Ocellated Turkey

Overview

The Ocellated Turkey is restricted to the Yucatan Peninsula and adjacent parts of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, where it inhabits tropical forest and forest edge. It is closely related to the Wild Turkey but is more vividly colored, with iridescent blue-green-bronze body plumage and tail feathers marked with striking eye-shaped (ocellated) spots, giving the species its name.

• Family: Phasianidae (turkeys)
• Diet: seeds, plant material, and invertebrates
• Range: Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, and northern Guatemala

Feather Identification

• Body feathers: show bright iridescent bronze-green and blue coloration, generally more vivid than the Wild Turkey.
• Tail feathers: each rectrix bears a distinctive blue-bronze, eye-shaped spot near the tip bordered by a coppery-gold band, unlike the plain banded tail of the Wild Turkey.
• Wing feathers: primaries and secondaries show dark coloration with less pronounced barring than in the Wild Turkey.
• Head: bare, brightly colored skin (not feathers) with blue and orange-red nodules is a striking additional field mark.
• Vs. similar species: the eye-spotted tail feathers and overall bluer iridescence readily distinguish it from the Wild Turkey, whose tail lacks ocelli.

Plumage Notes

Adult males show the brightest, most saturated iridescence and the most well-defined tail ocelli, especially during courtship display. Females are somewhat duller with less vivid iridescence, though both sexes show the characteristic eye-spotted tail pattern. Juveniles are duller overall until they molt into adult plumage.

Habitat & Range

The Ocellated Turkey is restricted to tropical forest, forest edge, and adjacent clearings on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and parts of Belize and northern Guatemala. It is non-migratory and closely tied to this limited geographic range.

Behavior

Ocellated Turkeys forage on the ground for seeds, fruit, and plant material, supplemented with insects, typically in small groups. Males display by fanning the tail to show off the eye-spotted feathers while making a distinctive drumming and gobbling display. Nests are ground scrapes concealed in vegetation. Vocalizations differ from the Wild Turkey, including a more staccato gobbling call.