Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani)

Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae | IUCN Status: Least Concern

smooth-billed_ani
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Amazonian Brazil

smooth-billed_ani
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Eastern Ecuador

smooth-billed_ani
Age: Adult & Juvenil | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Eastern Ecuador

smooth-billed_ani
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. Amazonian Brazil 


Identification & Behavior: ~34 cm (13.3 in). The Smooth-billed Ani is all black with glossy fringes to the body and wing coverts. The iris is dark. The bill is smooth and thick, with a hump in the culmen.  The tail is long. It favors open habitats and forest edges where it is often found in family groups. It resembles the Greater Ani but is distinguished by smaller size, brown iris, and habitat use. The very similar Groove-billed Ani occurs only on the lowlands west of te Andes.

Status: The Smooth-billed Ani is common in hedges and open and disturbed areas in Amazonia. It is known to range as high as 2100 m on the east slope of the Andes. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Garrapatero de Pico Liso.

Sub-species: Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani), Linnaeus, 1758.

Meaning of Name: Crotophaga: Gr. Kroton= tick and phagos, phagein= eat. ani: Tupi Indian= ani, angi, anim,= Tupi Indian name used to designate a social bird.

See more of the Family Cuculidae   peru aves

Distribution Map
smooth-billed aniVoice


References:

    • Species range based on: Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, and L. Rico. 2006. Distribution maps of the birds of Peru, version 1.0. Environment, Culture & Conservation (ECCo). The Field Museum.  http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/uw_test/birdsofperu on 08/01/2015.