THE OCELLATED TURKEY

By Juan José Morales

If we were to designate one bird as the most representative of the Mundo Maya, it would be the Ocellated Turkey. Called Cutz by the Maya, the Agriocharis ocellata is a wild bird similar to the domestic turkey. Its range includes the Yucatan Peninsula, limited areas of the states of Tabasco and Chiapas, and the Central American countries of Belize and Guatemala. It has never been domesticated and has even survived the transformation of its habitat.

    The Ocellated Turkey has tail feathers with the green-blue 'eyespots' edged in a metallic bronze color, from which its name is derived (ocelli or 'eye' in Latin). In addition to red warts, the blue head of the male bird sports a fleshy, drooping protuberance that is reddish-orange in color.

    The Cutz has powerful wings, yet only maintains flight for short distances. It forages on the ground for insects, seeds, fruit and other food, avoids the deep jungle by sticking to open spaces like cornfields, marshes and the forests' edge. The bird is polygamous, and inflates its plumage and struts like a peacock to attract mates. Females lay from 11 to 20 brown-spotted, cream-colored eggs that are incubated for approximately four weeks.

    The Ocellated Turkey is a game bird appreciated for its flavor and its wide, tender breast. It is large enough to feed an entire family and in some areas been over-hunted; though fortunately, that is not the case everywhere. The Cutz survives in large numbers throughout the Mundo Maya, and is in no danger of extinction in the near future. Its preference for open fields and second-growth scrub works in its favor, since the bird ends up settling in areas abandoned by man-where it can live undisturbed. If a ban on hunting this turkey where enforced, its survival would almost be guaranteed.