Meleagris ocellata
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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.
The ocellated turkey was considered endangered by Mexican authorities as recently as 2002 and has been considered Near Threatened by the IUCN since 2004. The species is believed to have experienced a decline in response to land use changes and higher than sustainable harvest by migrant workers and subsistence hunters living in the Yucatán Peninsula... Wikipedia →
Call0:33
Mexico · 2016
© Ross Gallardy · XC332802 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Song0:06
Mexico · 2006
© Richard C. Hoyer · XC5925 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5
Recording0:15
Mexico · 2024
© Daniel Correia · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Bratislava Zoo | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 5 | Parque Zoológico de León - Zooleón | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Xcaret | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Zoológico Benito Juárez | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Vallazoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Turtle Back Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Elmwood Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Zoo Lagos | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 13 | Biouniverzoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 14 | Reino Animal | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 15 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report an Ocellated Turkey sighting in Tikal National Park on a given day, based on 1,568 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 300 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and July
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report an Ocellated Turkey in Tikal National Park on a given day, against about 50% in May, September–October and December, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ocellated Turkey sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Ocellated Turkey sightings, Tikal National Park has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 40%) and Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, under 5%).
Same order: Galliformes
The closest relatives of the Ocellated Turkey that you can see in Tikal National Park (order Galliformes, Landfowl) are Plain Chachalaca (about 40%), Great Curassow (about 20%) and Crested Guan (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ocellated Turkey is recorded against all the birds logged in Tikal National Park (1,568 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
