Ocellated Turkey

Probably the bird I most wanted to see in Tikal NP in Guatemala was the ocellated turkey. It has a very limited range, confined to portions of the Yucatan Peninsula,  northern and western Belize and northern Guatemala. Our guide, Rony, spotted it quite a distance ahead, walking through an occupied section of Tikal with wooden buildings and people wandering around. I got near and started taking photos and pretty soon we had a group of about 30 people behind us watching and taking photos. 

"Ocellus," or the plural form "ocelli," means "simple eye" or "eyespot." The tail feathers of this turkey are bluish-gray with a bright gold tip, with an eye-shaped blue-bronze spot near the end. The spots give the turkey its name. I think of the ocelot, a wild cat that is covered with spots, and now understand how it got its name. 

Note the blue-bronze eye-shaped spot near the end of the tail with a bright gold tip. 

The body feathers of both males and females are a mixture of bronze and green iridescent color. Females can be duller with more green, but the breast feathers do not generally differ and can't be used to determine the sex. The upper, secondary wing coverts are iridescent copper. The primary and secondary wing feathers have barring similar to North American turkeys, but the secondaries have more white. They have blue heads with orange or red nodules which are more pronounced on males. Males have a fleshy blue crown covered with nodules. During breeding season the crown swells up and becomes brighter and more pronounced in its yellow-orange color. The eye is surrounded by bright red skin which is most visible on males during breeding season. The legs are red. Males over a year old have spurs on the legs which are longer and thinner than on North American turkeys. They are smaller than North American wild turkeys. 

The blue head, fleshy blue crown covered with nodule and red skin around the eye. 

Spurs on the legs reveal it to be a male. 

Illustration of a female from Birds of the World. 

Illustration of a male from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World.

Such a crazy looking cool bird! A favorite.