Previous
Comedians of the bird world
Antics make the ani bird an interesting study
A group of smooth-billed anis is known among birdwatchers as a “cooch” or an “orphanage,” who knows why? But another semi-official name–a “silliness” of anis– describes them best.
At first glance, you might mistake the smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani) for a beat-up crow (Corvus corone). They’re about the same size, and both appear to be black, although the ani’s plumage is actually an intricate pattern of metallic blues and dark browns.
On closer examination, you’ll see that the ani is much different. Crows have a neat and chipper appearance, whereas an ani always looks as though it had been out drinking and got into a bar fight the night before.
Like many birds in The Bahamas, anis like to hang out on golf courses, where they feed on the insects that hide in the roughs and in the longer grass around tees and greens.
Normally timid, they have become quite bold, paying as little attention to golfers, speeding by on their carts, as golfers do to them–both being intent on other things.
Encyclopaedia Britannica does not think highly of these birds. An anonymous expert writes: “The ani’s wings are short; and the plumage is floppy, so that the bird looks disheveled.” If that wasn’t enough he or she adds: “Anis fly poorly and utter whining cries.” All of this is true. When an ani flies, it wobbles, although it can glide like a champion.
Of all the golf course birds, the ani is the most fun to watch, especially if it’s windy.
The ani’s curious tail
One of the bird’s peculiarities is its tail, which is made up of eight long, raggedy feathers, accounting for fully half of its 14-inch length.
This appendage is a marvel of design and is of equal or greater use to the bird than its wings. The tail balances them when they fly, when they run and even when they stand up tall in the grass, searching for distant insects. At these times, leaning back on their tails, they
bring to mind a 19th-century country squire in cutaway coat and tails.
Anis can suddenly raise their remarkable tails from trailing in the dirt to a rigid upright position either as a balancing act or as a manoeuvre to scare hidden insects into a fatal movement. The ani can swivel its tail around like a whirligig.
Their landings sometimes look like tiny train wrecks. If a gust catches that outsized tail, it rolls the bird over like a ball of feathers. And when they alight on a bush, they simply fly straight into it, hoping for the best. Thanks to its manoeuvrable tail, the ani soon recovers its balance and tattered dignity.
The birds like their own company. When the wind blows too hard, many–especially the young–will cuddle up shoulder to shoulder under bushes and along protected walls.
Like an archaeopteryx
Other than its tail, the ani’s most distinctive feature is its bill, which is high-arched, bladelike and hook-tipped, making it look like a boxer who has taken too many punches on the nose.
Ornithologists believe the bird evolved the ridge on its upper mandible to pry into tight places where a bug might be hiding.
In profile, it looks a bit like an archaeopteryx (archy-op-ter-icks), that creature from the Jurassic period that was part reptile and part bird. Anis are not so old as that, but they’re still an ancient bird, having separated into three distinct species 55 to 60 million years ago.
The three related species are the greater, the groove-billed and the smooth-billed ani, the latter being the one that makes its home in The Bahamas. Their range extends from southern Florida and The Bahamas down through the Caribbean and into South America. Indeed, their name originates from the native Tupi language of Brazil.
Still evolving?
A case could be made that the ani are still evolving. They may have already decided to relinquish the power of flight, as their close cousin, the roadrunner, has done. Certainly, anis run a lot better than they fly, and their young reportedly learn to get around on their feet long before they take to the air.
Like more than half of all birds, the anis are classified as being one of the passeriformes, or perching birds. They are placed in the cuckoo family, largely because of their toes.
Whereas most passeriformes have three toes forward and one back, cuckoos, including the anis, have two forward and two back, something
called a “zygodactyl arrangement.” Perhaps they need the extra perching support to make up for their apparent lack of coordination.
Anis have not adopted the habits of true cuckoos, who are brood parasites. This means they secretly lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and then fly away.
The duped surrogate parents feed and raise the foster bird. Cuckoo nestlings are born with a nasty ability to kill their step-siblings by pushing them out of the nest as they hatch.
Anis, by contrast, are excellent parents. A silliness of up to 20 anis lives communally and defends two territories, one for roosting and nesting, and the other for daytime feeding. Their nesting habits, like their tail and beak, are unique and a bit mystifying.
Several females each lay four or five chalky blue eggs in layers in a communal nest (up to 30 eggs have been found in a single nest), roughly separated by layers of leaves and twigs. But only the top layer hatches. The whole community, including juveniles, then helps to protect and feed the youngsters.
In a short period of time, the newborns are flying, crashing into bushes or landing in an awkward hop and roll, happily running down grasshoppers.
--
Feature_AniBird_WBN11
Comedians of the bird world
Antics make the ani bird an interesting study
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-Mail: Click here
Internet: https://
Disclaimer:
Information in editorial and listings is subject to change at any time.