Smooth-billed Ani
Crotophaga ani
Anis are bizarre, coal-black cuckoos with long floppy tails and unique, curiously tall, flattened bills. Smooth-billed occurs in a variety of open and semi-open habitats in tropical lowlands and foothills, typically staying low in shrubs and grasses. Gregarious and not particularly graceful; usually seen crashing around awkwardly in small groups. Flies with choppy wingbeats and long glides. Widespread and common throughout much of South America and the Caribbean, extending as far west as the Pacific slope of Costa Rica and north to Florida. Compare with the very similar Groove-billed Ani, which overlaps in some areas of Central and South America. Note especially the bill shape: Smooth-billed often (but not always) has a taller ridge on the top of the bill, and a sharper angle on the lower edge of the bill. The sides are typically smooth, rarely with weak grooves. Voice is also important: listen for a rising, hawklike whistle with an inflection at the end. Dark eye, size, and habitat help separate from Greater Ani in South America and Panama.
识别特征
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 cm (14 in) in overall length. Males weigh around 115 g (4.1 oz) while females are lighter and with a weight of around 95 g (3.4 oz). The adult is mainly glossy black, with a long tail, deep ridged black bill and a brown iris. The flight is weak and wobbly, but the bird runs well and usually feeds on the ground. This species is called "el pijul" in Venezuelan folklore.[citation needed] The calls include a whining ooo-leeek.
分类信息
The smooth-billed ani was described and illustrated in 1648 by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave in his Historia Naturalis Brasiliae. He used the name "Ani" but did not explain the origin of the word. It probably comes from the word Anim in the Tupi language which means "social bird". In 1756 the Irish physician Patrick Browne used the name Crotophaga for the species in his The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica. Browne's name combines the Ancient Greek krotōn meaning "tick" with -phagos meaning "-eating". Browne wrote that the smooth-billed anis "live chiefly upon ticks and other small vermin; and may be frequently seen jumping about all cows and oxen in the fields". When the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition in 1758 he included the smooth-billed ani. He placed it in its own genus Crotophaga and coined the binomial name Crotophaga ani. The type locality is Jamaica. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- 学名
- Crotophaga ani
- 命名信息
- Linnaeus, 1758
- 目
- Cuculiformes
- 科
- Cuculidae
- 属
- Crotophaga
分布与栖息地
This ani is found in open and semi-open country and areas under cultivation. This common and conspicuous species has greatly benefited from deforestation.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
This is a very gregarious species, always found in noisy groups. <p>The nest, built communally by several pairs, is a deep cup lined with leaves and placed usually 2–6 m (6.6–19.7 ft) high in a tree. A number of females lay their chalky blue eggs in the nest and then share incubation and feeding. Each female is capable of laying up to seven eggs, and nests have been found containing up to 29 eggs, but it is rare for more than ten to hatch. Incubation is 13–15 days, with another 10 days to fledging. Up to three broods may be raised in a season, with the young of earlier broods helping to feed more recent chicks.<p>The smooth-billed ani feeds on termites, large insects, other invertebrates and even lizards, frogs, eggs and hatchlings of other birds, and fruit. They will occasionally remove ticks and other parasites from grazing animals.
保护状况
The smooth-billed ani is considered Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List. Declines in the South Florida population were recorded as the state delayed its protection decision for the species.
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Philippine Swiftlet
Aerodramus mearnsi
Uncommon dark swiftlet. Endemic to a smattering of the Philippines islands, from Luzon to Mindanao to Palawan. Habitat can be helpful in identifying this confusing species; generally favors ridges and slopes in montane and submontane areas above 700-800 meters. Readily confused with significantly larger Ameline Swiftlet, but present species has a more squared-off-looking tail (fork is shallow and often unnoticeable), tends to fly lower and more erratically, and more often forms flocks. Combination of dark rump, unglossed dark back, and medium size separates this species from Gray-rumped Swiftlet, Pygmy Swiftlet, and Ridgetop Swiftlet. Frequently calls while in flight, giving a squeaky chattering twitter.
Chinese Leaf Warbler
Phylloscopus yunnanensis
Small plump leaf warbler. A “Pallas’s-type” leaf warbler: stout, with a pale rump, crown stripe, and prominent brow stripes. Olive-yellow above with a faint gray wash on the nape. Chinese is distinguished from Pallas’s by its paler, more faded-looking brow and crown stripes, less yellow suffusion all over the body, less compact appearance, and less obvious or absent upper wingbar. Extremely similar Gansu Leaf Warbler and Lemon-rumped Warbler can be difficult to separate; note Chinese’s slightly more elongated and less rounded appearance, a lack of a distinct hook under the end of the brow stripe, less contrasting and more yellowish head patterning, and paler yellowish secondaries. Forages actively, often hovering and hopping about at mid-level. Breeds in montane broadleaved deciduous or mixed forest; moves to lower elevations in winter. On average, found at lower altitudes than Lemon-rumped and Gansu. Lengthy song is unique and bizarre, with a twanging, grating quality: “btrichi-btrichi-btrichi.” Call is an explosive “wip!”, often repeated in medium-length series on the breeding grounds.
Little Friarbird
Philemon citreogularis
Large honeyeater with a brown-feathered crown and bare, blue-gray facial skin. Gray-brown upperparts and cream underparts. Easily distinguished from other friarbirds by its smaller size, facial skin coloration, and lack of a "horn" on the bill. Juveniles have yellow coloration on throat and shoulders. Found in a wide variety of habitats but is particularly common along rivers and in suburban gardens.
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