click on the photo
for a larger view
|
Smooth-billed Ani
[Crotophaga ani]
[Length 14.5 in. Wingspan 18.5 in.]
The Smooth-billed Ani is a tropical relative of the Cuckoo family which looks remarkably like a Boat-tailed Grackle at first glance.
Named for the lack of prominent ridges on its stout bill (see Groove-billed Ani), the Smooth-billed Ani occurs in North America only in southern Florida and Caribbean Islands.
The birds are declining throughout their Florida range. One theory for this is that the birds were originally "blown" onto the mainland by a hurricane and managed to survive in marginal habitat.
The severe loss of habitat and water shortages which have occurred in southern Florida in the last 30 to 40 years were enough to degrade the marginal habitat, leading to a gradual decline in the Florida population.
This Smooth-billed Ani was photographed in the brush next to a motel parking lot in Homestead, Florida, USA.
Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 200 film.
(Date: January 1991)
(use image name "anisb" for inquiries)
|