lated Turkeys noted by some obser­ vers in heavily cleared areas also argues for their need offorests. Smithe Incubation of (1979) reported the turkeys at Tikal to be widespread but not numerous, and according to Steadman (1979) the density of Ocellated Turkeys in Tikal Ocellated Turkey Eggs is about one individual per square (Agriocharis ocel/ata) kilometer. During the months of February and using the common turkey as a foster mother March, the male turkeys start "sing­ ing", displaying a spectacular court­ ship behavior. Turkeys are poly­ byJohanna Motta gamous, the dominant male being the Wildlife Preservation Trust International only one that breeds with the females of its "harem". By spreading out his body plumage, the cock increases his size and displays his ornamentally colored feathers. He raises his tail and t's five o'clock in the morning and portions ofMexico. The distribution of spreads it fully, showing the blue­ Ithe sun starts to appear in Tikal the Ocellated Turkey with this area is green ocelli of each feather which National Park; surrounded by the somewhat patchy due to habitat attract the hen. The wings are noisy voices of hundreds of parrots destruction and hunting pressure. A dropped until they touch the ground, and the strange vocalization of oro­ more ominous threat to the Ocel­ rattling over the floor making a drum pendolas. We leave our warm sleep­ lated's status seemed to be the fear of like sound. At the same time the bare ing bags after a rainy night. With a domestic poultry diseases to which outgrowths of the head and neck hurry we walk toward the lost world they are extremely susceptible and swell up and intensify in color and a (El mundo perdido). This archaelogi­ regularly exposed through frequent blue horn grows at the top ofhis head. cal site is where a big group of ocel­ contact with free roaming village In this curious posture the cock lated turkeys gathers every evening flocks that can be found through their Photos l1extpage. Text cOl1til1ues 011 page 34. looking for a secure roosting site. One range. Although the Ocellated Turkey of the two traps is located in front of a is one of the most conspicuos mem- ,...... _ Mayan temple. For a period of one bers of the avifauna in the Peten month, Wildlife Conservation Interna­ region and one of the important tional (WCI) personnel have been giv­ gamebirds in the area, relatively little Magnolia Bird ing corn to the Ocellated Turkeys try­ is known about its natural history. ing to adapt them to the presence of The Ocellated Turkey is part of the Farm the trap and to the bait. A few minutes family meleagridae, together with the after spreading the corn, a strange common turkey Meleagris gallopavo. sound fills the environment. Like Its plumage is a bright copper-bronze. small helicopters, one by one, the tur­ The Mayans believed that these keys start to descend from their roost­ feathers were mirrors that allowed the ing sites. With a perfect landing, their turkeys to see their predators before heavy bodies touch the ground. A they were caught. The naked blue group of five turkeys come running head and neck are decorated with toward the trap, looking for the free bright orange caruncles. Each feather banquet. The trap is activated, but in a is decorated with an eye-like pattern matter of seconds, four of them or ocelli from which the bird takes its escape. The only trapped bird is radio name. Ocellated Turkeys prefer open tagged and then released. After a and secondary forest, abandoned corn week, five females were radio tagged. fields, wood edges and savannahs. These birds are not "turkeys" at all! They find almost all of their food on It seems that some birds might dis­ the ground where they consume a 8990 Cerritos Ave. Anaheim, CA 92804 appear faster than others. Birds that great variety of vegetable matter: live under the forest canopy, are chickweed, tender shoots and grass, (714) 527-3387 insectivorous or have a territorial fruits and seeds. A great part of their (closed for vacation, first 2 weeks of July) social system, may be the first to go. In diet seems to be insects such as gras­ 12200 Magnolia Ave. this large group we could include the shoppers, crickets and beetles. The Riverside, CA 92503 Ocellated Turkey, a regional endemic density and distrbution of Ocellated (909) 278-0878 species whose distribution is restricted Turkeys in heavily forested areas such (closed for vacation, first 2 weeks of August) to the lowland tropical forest of Peten, as Tikal National Park may be largely OPEN 9 TO 5 DAILY Guatemala; adjacent Central and controlled by the distribution and size Closed Sun., Mon. & holidays Northern Belize, and the southern of grassy areas. The scarcity of Ocel-

afa WATCHBIRD 31 Building where the brood chickenfoster mothers 'were kept in the Hotel Camino Real Tikal. Ocellated Turkeys at three nl0nths old.

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• CO 2 packed air barrier bags guarantees no bugs and seals in freshness • Extruded granules eliminate powdery waste and wet voluminous droppings caused by pellets • Stop feeding your birds artificial candy-like food that makes droppings purple and red! Available from your locallndependant Pet Shop and Avian Veterinarian. For Life-Time granules send $10.00 for a 1 kg. (2.25 lb.) bag of Cockatiel, or $20.00 for a 2 kg. (4.4 lb.) of Parrot to: ""~ HAG'EN® Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp. ~ AVICULTURAL P.O. Box 9107, RESEARCH Mansfield, Ma. INSTITUTE 02048 . For your FREE SAMPLE or to order larger quantities call: 1-800-225-2700 or 2701 Distributor inquiries welcome. dances forward and back, stamping Wild. We were able to collect nine they are found early in the incubation the ground in his full beauty, making eggs but just three (33 percent) were period they tend to flyaway, aban­ himself irresistible. After a couple of fertile, and none of them hatched. doning the nest for a couple of min­ weeks of serenades, the females dis­ This year, with a grant given by the utes, but when they are found in the appear from the open areas looking American Federation of Aviculture middle or late incubation period they for an appropriate nesting site. (AFA), we were able to continue the would stay on the nest, making a Although the clutch consists of an project with great success. threatening sound to the intruder. average of 10 buff colored eggs, the The common turkeys used as foster With an amazing ability and percentage of poults that survive is mothers were kept in the Camino Real patience on April 21st, Don Luis was very low. Tikal Hotel, 24 kilometers away from able to find one nest which consisted The objective of this project is to Tikal National Park. The flock con­ of 13 eggs. Seven ofthem were placed increase the survival rate of the Ocel­ sisted of four turkeys (three females in a box covered with a sponge and lated Turkey poults using a common and one male). then transported to the Camino Real turkey as a foster mother. Based on By the middle of April, there were Tikal Hotel. The eggs were put under the fact that in Latin America it is a still males singing. The tagged females the foster mother No.1 for incubation. very common practice in the rural were monitored daily by the WCI It was interesting to see that after areas to incubate eggs of any species team. According to the irregular and some days, the wild female that was using hens or turkeys as foster changing radio signal, the females left with six eggs had produced two mothers, why not try to increase the were still looking for a nesting site. more. Of a total of eight eggs that rate of survival of the Ocellated Tur­ After days of waiting for a steady and were left in the nest, five poults key poults using a foster mother under regular signal indicating that the hatched. The next day the female was controlled conditions? females were nesting, it was decided found just with three poults. The three The project was divided in two to rely on the visual ability of Don eggs that didn't hatch were collected, phases: Luis, a park ranger, to find wild nests. marked with a letter A and put in the The first phase developed by WCI We looked in open areas ofsecondary incubator at a temperature of 37.5°C consisted in capturing the Ocellated growth, mostly dominated by the fern (99°F) and 60 to 70 percent humidity. Turkey females at Tikal National Park, called "Chispa" Equiseptum sp). The On May 7th, 11 eggs were collected radio tagging, monitoring and follow­ Ocellated Turkeys' nests are built on from a nest which showed signs that ing them into their nest. the ground. The female walks in the female had been killed (probably The second phase, developed by circles, stamping the vegetation and by a feline). The eggs were aban­ Wildlife Preservation Trust Interna­ giving the nest its form. Usually the doned for probably three to five days. tiona (WPTI) consisted in collecting most common nesting site is the Seven of them were put under hen the eggs from the wild nests and put­ secondary vegetation; however, one No. 1 and the rest were marked with a ting part of them under a foster ofthe nests was found in closed forest letter B and placed in the incubator. mother (common turkey) and some in in the roots of a Ramon tree Brosim­ Approximatly 100 meters from this an incubator. ium alicastrum. Although it has nest, we found a female incubating In 1992, our only equipment con­ colorful plumage, the female blends nine eggs; three days later we went to sisted of an incubator donated by Idea perfectly into the surroundings; when check again, and surprisingly we found nine recently hatched poults. Ofthe radio tagged females, just one was confirmed to be nesting. The nest was found in closed forest in the roots Books! ...Books! ...Books! of a Ramon tree with eight eggs. We have a "world class" assortment Weeks later, the WCI team found the of essential books for birdkeepers...JDP is your body of this bird without a head and number one source the ocelli of the feathers were evi­ for books on... Top Flyte Wh dently cut. It seems that, on this occa­ Parrots. Canaries PremiU1tJ-1 eat Grass sion, a feline was not responsible for Budgies. Pigeons Essential fo~O~ Natural the bird's death. All the eggs were put Poultry. Game Fowl Or Breede~~ Birds in the incubator, although it seemed Falconry • Cage and ;;~P Flyte all natu that just two ofthem were fertile. Aviary Birds /s the ne:r~~r;~~s Pow~:~ Between May 17th and 18th the Vet Medicine O~d.J0r Your bir~n~/o aperfect seven eggs that were under foster Call or write for Ornithology and S~PP/~~eVltamin/m;ner~/~e ideal mother No.1, hatched. Three days our F~~~/:-page More! jntense c~io~7U'ting in b~~1 later, of the three eggs of group A that ...... ,,:.,: ..::::: Pf~~~q:'s~n~a~~~':i~:/~~ou~ant were placed in the incubator, two hatched. All the poults were put together to be raised by a common :::~i;bjl:H~~~:~~~;sa~:d foster mother. On June 2nd, two eggs a"A_?::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,:::::::::::::::=:::::::::: :,,( :::,:,}}}:,,:}:::::,::. Only $14.95 (AKER SfZE in the incubator (from group B) P.O. Box 293854, Lewisville, 75 gm) showed signs of hatching. Hours later, Texas 75029-3854 a poult was born showing leg defor­ Phone/FAX 817-455-2233 mation and the other one just pipped 34 March / April 1994 and died. The next day, three eggs from group C showed evidence of hatching. Of those three eggs, just one 1994 MIDWEST AVIAN hatched. So out of five fertile eggs that were placed in the incubator, just two RESEARCH poults were produced; the poult that was born with deformed legs died one E-X-P-O week later. The other one was raised BUFFALO, NEW YORK JULY 8, 9, 10 together with a common chick, but died two months later due to diet Don't miss the great opportunity to be part ofthis year's Expo! problems. Come be instructed and lectured by.some qf~e top veterin- In summary, nine poults of Ocel­ arians and avicu1turists in the w6rIdl:::~i;:?::::;::;;;;:;;:;;;,.: :··· , . lated Turkeys hatched. They appeared . ..;•..:.;.;::::::;:.;.".•.,••... y.:.:::~:::~:::::::::::::::;:;::::::::;.:.; ••.....;•.-.:... - to be very independent and readily looking for insects. Their diet consists of commercial poultry food, meal­ worms and any kind of insects they are able to search for. Although the poults have been shown by their fos­ ter mother how to feed on the com­ mercial diet, it has been difficult to make them get a sufficient amount. After some weeks, the poults started dying with no evidence ofdisease. Three months later, the surviving poults have developed most of their colorful plumage and have reached almost the size oftheir foster mother. According to Chadwick (990), con­ servationists regularly point out that in saving an obscure life form in the wild, we may be preserving the gene­ tic basis from which people could develop a valuable crop or type of livestock. That could be the case for the Ocellated Turkey, which has become exceedingly rare over most of its former range. The Ocellated 'Of write: Turkey is one important part of the :MidW~t Avian Guatemalans' heritage that we must ~~s~a#Fh help survive. Expo P.O.lJox 476 Bibliography iBUffalij, NY 14240 1. Jennings, J. 1987. Ocellated Turkey. TIle AFA Watchbird. XIV(4); pp. 4. 2. Lint, K.C. 1977-78. Ocellated Turkeys. World Pheasant Association Journal III. Mexico, pp. 14-21. 3. Ramos, M. 1985. Problems hindering the con­ servation of tropical forest birds in Mexico and Central America, and steps toward a conserva­ tion strategy. ICBP Technical publication No. Markyourcalendarnow! 4, pp. 67-76. 4. Steadman, D., Stull, J. and Eaton, S. 1978-79. Natural History of the Ocellated Turkey. The AFA Convention, Knoxville, Tennessee World Pheasant Association Journal IV, pp. 15-30. Acknowledgements August4 -6, 1994 I would like to express my gratefulness to the American Federation ofAviculture for making this project possible; Idea Wild and Columbus Zoo for HDown Under and OutofAfrica" the donation of valuable equipment; Hotel Camino Real Tikal for their unconditional sup­ Premiere speakersfrom port. Thanks to Manuel Acevedo and Victor Acedo for their help in the rearing of the poults. Australia and South Africa Special thanks to John Stebbins for belieVing in and supporting the project. •

afa WATCHBIRD 35