Template:POTD/2024-09-12
_GC.JPG)
The smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga 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. The smooth-billed ani is a mid-sized species, larger on average than the groove-billed ani but smaller than the greater ani. It measures approximately 35 centimetres (14 inches) in overall length. Males weigh around 115 grams (4.1 ounces), while females are lighter at around 95 grams (3.4 ounces). Adults are mainly glossy black, with a long tail, deep ridged black bill and a brown iris. This smooth-billed ani was photographed in George Town, on the island of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean.Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp