Smooth-Billed Ani
Crotophaga ani
Also known as: Savannah Blackbird
About This Species
Look for small, loose flocks moving together through pastures, roadside scrub and forest edges across the American tropics, often clambering clumsily between low branches rather than flying far. The all-black plumage and heavy, arched bill are distinctive, and its harsh, whining calls usually give the flock away before you see it. Activity peaks through the morning as birds forage on the ground and in low vegetation for insects flushed up by grazing livestock.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- This is a common, adaptable species and ordinary birdwatching distance from a path or vehicle is enough to watch a flock without disturbing it.
- Protections and hunting rules for non-game birds vary widely across its range in Central and South America and the Caribbean, so check local regulations rather than assuming one country's rules apply everywhere.
- Avoid approaching nests directly, since ani groups share nesting duties and repeated disturbance can cause a colony to abandon a site.
LCAvesCuculiformesCuculidae
Seasonal Activity
673,370 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.