Groove-billed Ani

Groove-billed Ani

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

An odd-looking black bird with a long tail and a large, curved beak, the Groove-billed Ani is a tropical species that reaches the United States only in pasturelands and open country of southern Texas. Its membership in the cuckoo family is revealed by its two-toes-foreward, two-toes-back foot arrangement.

Description

• Slender, long-tailed black bird.
• Short thick, rounded beak.
• Beak with parallel grooves running its length.

• Size: 34 cm (13 in)
• Weight: 70-90 g (2.47-3.18 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Call a sharp, high two-noted whistle.

Conservation Status

Common and widespread in the tropics. Less common in Texas, but population appears stable.

Other Names

Ani à bec cannelé (French)
Garrapatero pijuy, Pico de cera, Pijúy, Piquiestriado, Tijo, Zopilotillo (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Like other anis, the Groove-billed Ani lives in small groups of one to five breeding pairs. They defend a single territory and lay their eggs in one communal nest. All group members incubate the eggs and care for the young.

Sources used to construct this page:

Bowen, B. S. 2002. Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris ).In The Birds of North America, No. 612 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.