A medium black bird with distinctive smooth black bill.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The smooth-billed ani is a bird in the cuckoo family. It is a resident breeding species from southern Florida, the Caribbean, parts of Central America, south to western Ecuador, Brazil, northern Argentina and southern Chile. It was introduced to Galápagos around the 1960s and is potentially impacting native and endemic species across the archipelago.
Source: Wikipedia — Smooth-billed ani Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. All-black bird with a long, mobile tail and a smooth, very high-arched, almost parrot-like bill with a curved ridge.
Similar species. Groove-billed Ani has fine grooves and a lower bill ridge; grackles are glossy with normal bills. The smooth, high-ridged bill marks this ani.
Voice. A whining, rising, querulous 'oo-leek' and various whistles.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Caterpillars (especially hairy species), insects, lizards.
Behavior. A gregarious tropical cuckoo-relative that reaches southern Florida; like its relatives, groups cooperate at a communal nest. Feeds on insects flushed by grazing livestock.
§ Range
Southern Florida, Caribbean
§ Habitat
Open habitats
§ Threats
Habitat loss.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the smooth-billed ani is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support Florida habitat conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Smooth-billed ani
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Crotophaga ani
- IUCN Red List — search for Crotophaga ani
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Crotophaga ani
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
