The Story
I photographed this Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani) at Reserva Natural La Palmita in Trinidad, Casanare, Colombia. The Smooth-billed Ani’s flight is weak and wobbly, but it runs well and usually feeds on the ground. Several females lay their chalky blue eggs in one nest and then share the incubation and feeding. Its calls include a whining ooo-leeek. It lives in open and semi-open country and farmland. La Palmita’s research center has recorded 250 bird species and 39 bat species in the flooded savannas of Trinidad. IUCN lists the Smooth-billed Ani as Least Concern, with a stable population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400. La Palmita’s research center also monitors the savanna’s birds and mammals and rehabilitates and releases wildlife rescued from illegal trafficking.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani) belongs to the family Cuculidae (Cuckoos) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List
