Partridges, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
Ocellated Turkey
Meleagris ocellata
- Family
- Partridges, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies (Phasianidae)
- Order
- Galliformes
Overview
The ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata) is a species of turkey residing primarily in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, as well as in parts of Belize and Guatemala. A relative of the North American wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), it was sometimes previously considered in a genus of its own (Agriocharis), but the differences between the two turkeys are currently considered too small to justify generic segregation. It is a relatively large bird, at around 70–122 cm (28–48 in) long and an average weight of 3 kg (6.6 lb) in females and 5 kg (11 lb) in males.
The ocellated turkey lives only in a 130,000 km2 (50,000 sq mi) range in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico—which includes all or part of the states of Quintana Roo, Campeche, Yucatán, Tabasco, and Chiapas—as well as the northern and western parts of Belize and northern Guatemala.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Yucatan Peninsula (southeastern Mexico) to Petén (northern Guatemala) and Belize.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Ocellated turkey
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.