Blast from the past: Ocellated Turkey

I was delighted to pick up my new issue of Winging It today, and see an article by Ohio's own Ashli Gorbet plastered across the front page. Winging It is the newsletter - "official!" - of the American Birding Association and as such, is probably the largest circulation birding info-sheet in the Americas.

Ashli, who was hatched in Westlake, Ohio, now hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico where she is secretary of the New Mexico Ornithological Society and works with the Rio Grande Bird Research, Inc. She's smitten with the tropics, and her Winging It article was all about birding in the tiny country of Belize, the northernmost Central American country. Belize is little more than 1/5th the size of Ohio, and its population is only 1/3rd that of my city, Columbus - about 330,000 people, the lowest population density of any Central American country.

A visit to Belize is high on my list, and I hope to finally make it there next year. Ashli's article mentioned some of the fabulous birds that can be found in exotic Belizean haunts, such as White-collared Manakin, Black-headed Trogon, and Keel-billed Toucan. Those birds are old friends from other tropical excursions, but I'd like to see them again, in addition to other possibilities that I haven't seen.

One of the species that Ashli mentions is this splendid glittering chunk of a beast, the Ocellated Turkey, Meleagris ocellata. I took this photo in 2010, in the country just to Belize's south, Guatemala. This is the other turkey; one of only two species in the genus Meleagris. Its sibling species is, of course, the Wild Turkey, M. gallopavo, which is so familiar to North American gringos. Ocellated Turkeys have a far more limited distribution, being found only on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and its immediate environs.

Here is a short video of a tom Ocellated Turkey "singing" as it pulls out all the stops to impress the hens at Tikal in Guatemala. It impressed your blogger.

In addition to Belize, another Central American trip you may find of interest is the Ohio Ornithological Society's upcoming expedition to Guatemala, March 4th thru 13th, 2012. You'll see the gaudy Ocellated Turkey and much more. All of the details are RIGHT HERE.

Congrats to Ashli on a fine article, and I'm sure I'm not the only one she's inspired to jet south to Belize.

The other turkey

There are two species of turkey in the Americas - the familiar, wide-ranging Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, and another, far less common species.

I saw the other turkey on my recent Guatemala trip, and saw it well.

A gorgeous male Ocellated Turkey, Meleagris ocellata, struts his stuff. Click on the photo to blow it up and admire the intricate details of its plumage. Ocellateds are showier than Wild Turkeys; nearly peacocklike in their fanciness.

Ocellated Turkeys have a very limited distribution, being confined to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and adjacent Belize and Guatemala. This bird was photographed at Tikal in the Peten Department of northern Guatemala. Turkeys, and all wildlife, is protected within Tikal and the turkeys are now just as bold as you can imagine.

Just as it is here in Ohio, it's gobbling season for stud Ocellated Turkeys. They sound a bit like amplified bongo drums. Check the above video to see a performance.