Re: [aroid-l] From Peru

From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at msn.com> on 2002.08.25 at 16:25:48(9281) Dear Ricardo, I believe the birds you are observing may be the ocellated turkey, only the second species of turkey (the barn-yard turkey is a domesticated Mexican/Central American species of 'regular' turkey, about 7 other sub-species of 'regular' turkeys are discribed from N. America. The Mexican/Central American ocellated turkey, though closely related to the 'barnyard' turkey, has never been domesticated and is very different! Or you may be talking about one of the curacaos, a larger blacker group of birds, still related to turkeys and chickens. The guans I mentioned are another family, but also distantly related to chickens and turkeys. They are probably known as 'chacalakas' or soemsuch in your Country based on the loud early morning/evening calls of the group. Julius +More >>Hi Julius, I see these rare guans sometimes on the trees around our house. Big black birds with blue peaks. They are like turkeys and have a hard time flying. So no wonder there are almost none left. If you can throw a rock you got a meal. Ricardo Sander Monteverde Costa Rica

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