The breeding season occurs in these birds once a year. Marriage courtship begins in March-April. During this period males demonstrate themselves in all their glory. They approach the females, opening their tails with a fan and plucking the plumage on the remaining parts of the body. At the same time, the wings remain half-open. With an important air, the turkeys walk across from each other, trying to suppress the opponent with their impressive look.
This behavior very accurately reflects the expression “puffed up like a turkey”. If the psychological attack does not work, they enter into an open confrontation, but nevertheless, they try to avoid brutal fighting. Especially beautiful look ocellated turkeys, which at this point are not much inferior in beauty to the peacocks. Approaching the females males keep the pose, but change tactics. At this point, the folds and “warts” on the neck are filled with blood, blush, swell, and the owner of these ornaments begins to “gurgle”.
It should be said that in general, the shade of the skin on the head and neck largely depends on the mood of the turkey, the stronger the bird is, the more redder the skin, calming down, the turkey turns blue and turns pale.
Studies have shown that such males are always genetically related to each other, and the number of offspring in such fathers is on average 6 more than for single turkeys. The female, in turn, can mate with different males, that is, these birds have polygamy. After mating, the packs fall to autumn.
