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Pavo ocelado, ocellated turkey

Meleagris ocellata

Description:

There are only two species of turkey in the world; the North American wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), divided into five distinct subspecies, and the ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata). The ocellated turkey is known by several different names that vary by Central American locale: pavo, pavo ocelado, or its Mayan Indian name, ucutz il chican. The ocellated turkey exists only in a 50,000 square mile area comprised of the Yucatan Peninsula range includes the states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatan, as well as parts of southern Tabasco and northeastern Chiapas.

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12 Comments

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 5 years ago

Stunning ! A well deserved SOTD -Congratulations Mike.

Maria dB
Maria dB 5 years ago

Beautiful and interesting spotting!

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 5 years ago

We hope this message finds you well Mike! Congratulations, your splendid Ocellated Turkey has been chosen as a special Thanksgiving Spotting of the Day:

"Project Noah contributors and friends celebrating Thanksgiving today are likely to find a turkey on their dinner table. Turkeys (genus Meleagris) are large birds native to the Americas, and were first domesticated in ancient Mexico. Did you know that together with the more familiar wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), there exists a second, rather splendid turkey species? The ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata) is found in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico as well as in the northern and western parts of Belize and in northern Guatemala. The ocelli, for which the ocellated turkey is named, are spots found on the tail similar to patterns typically found on peafowl. Turkeys were for long considered to be their own family—the Meleagrididae—but recent genetic analysis have placed them as a subfamily in the family Phasianidae. The ocellated turkey is classified as Nearly Threatened by the IUCN".

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alicelongmartin
alicelongmartin 10 years ago

Cool series and color!

Josh Asel
Josh Asel 10 years ago

Wow, really a beautiful spotting! I had no idea there are only two species of turkey. really cool to know thanks Mike!

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Spectacular bird!

LuisStevens
LuisStevens 10 years ago

Great series Mike!

VivBraznell
VivBraznell 10 years ago

What amazing plumage!

Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander 10 years ago

Cool fowl!

Neil Ross
Neil Ross 10 years ago

Great photos of one very handsome bird. Good info too. Cheers, Mike.

Reza Hashemizadeh
Reza Hashemizadeh 10 years ago

Beauty !

Christiane
Christiane 10 years ago

What a beautiful bird.. :)

MikeGrageda
Spotted by
MikeGrageda

Campeche, Mexico

Spotted on Nov 7, 2013
Submitted on Dec 13, 2013

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