This bird is large and powerful. The head is blue with wattles that are used during displays. The neck is long. Wings and tail are broad and rounded. The feathers are dark, metallic brown, barred with black.
Turkeys spend most of the time on the ground and often prefer to run to escape, rather than fly.
They can, however, fly swiftly and powerfully for short distances. Female ocellated turkeys lay 8-15 eggs in a well concealed nest on the ground. She incubates the eggs for 28 days. The young are precocial and able to leave the nest after one night.