The Story
I photographed this Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani) at Líbano, Tolima, Colombia. It lives in open and semi-open country and farmland. It is a very gregarious species, usually found in noisy groups, and it has benefited from deforestation. Its 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. Líbano’s economy rests on farming, cattle and tourism. Coffee is the center of Líbano’s economy and culture.
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 100. IUCN lists the Smooth-billed Ani as Least Concern, with a stable population.
©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